The Brute
by Pudgoose
Summary: -COMPLETED- AU. Kakarroto's never been sent to Earth, and is the alpha-male on Planet Vegeta. He can have any woman his heart desires--except for Raditz's girl, Chi-Chi.
1. Prologue

To open a scene and twist it about.  That's what a writer loves best of all.  To find the perfect word.  The perfect description.  To communicate what, verbally, cannot be accomplished.  If a writer can do that, he has fed the fire that burns within him, kept away the beasts that live inside him, and can sleep peacefully for the night.

To accomplish this dream, the writer must aspire.  He must perform it himself, he must bring forth something completely new and unexpected, and he must succeed.  If not, he will perish…

Along with the story within him…

The Brute 

Kakarroto stepped into his father's kitchen, absentmindedly chewing on the remains of a snack he'd gotten not two minutes before.  He liked this room most of all in the house.  It was constantly stocked with food and easily accessible, as it was the center of the building.  It cast the odd impression that the architect had carefully designed the most important chamber, and then stuck other additions off at randomly picked locations, as if from afterthought.  Not only that, but the air within it always had an easy-going smell: one of tomatoes long sat in a window's sunshine, fruit flies, and sink soap.  Soap was the most prevalent of all, as there were always dishes that needed washing in a Sayian household.

He polished off his first meal and dug into a cabinet for another.  After selecting, he poured himself a glass of water, pausing only to gloat at his reflection.  By golly, he was a fine specimen of handsome if there ever was one.  He smirked, picked up his glass, and drank his reflection.

His father wasn't home yet.  In fact, he wouldn't be home by the morrow's night.  Not that Kakarroto was complaining, for his father's absence left him in charge of the house and gave way to less interruption.  This way, he could enjoy the pleasures of late-night feminine company without having to face his father's chiding.  And just that night Kakarroto was booked with not one, but two female visitors; one at seven, the other at ten.

It would be a relief to have his father back, however.  The pile of dishes had outgrown their lodgings in the sink and had threatened to topple over on more than one occasion.

He crammed a slab of meat into his mouth and managed to squeeze in some water, proceeding to wear it down.  Thoughts traveled right back to his late-night company to be due, and he realized just how far his territory had spread.  Being the top dog when it came to sheer strength, all females of third class birth had naturally flocked to him, be they fifteen of age or fifty.  But power does not go by unnoticed by Sayians, and those of second class were some of the most ready to recognize a profitable mate when they saw one.  In fact, one of the soon-to-be mates of his had a secondary status.

Kakarroto racked his brain as hard as it would permit.  He had been in bed with almost every fertile, third class female, if he was correct.  And if he were wrong, he dismissed it as their loss.  He was already setting a record not seen in the past ten years; there was no need to smudge his face and beg for more.  He turned back around and bounced on his heels, stopping only once to praise his shallow reflection in the window.

He kicked at the wall and dented it, wishing for company.  Though smaller than an average Sayian house, his home always felt much too spacious when he was alone.  He found himself desiring a second pair of eyes for the back of his head.  Not that he need feel that way.  He was the strongest Sayian he could recall coming across.  In spars, he had creamed the third class, swept by the second, and, on one unforgettable occasion, a first class had challenged him.  And Kakarroto beat him, too.

Even though he was by far more powerful than any opposition he'd ever faced, his power level never decreased.  And though he hadn't had a fitting challenge since he was five, he grew in strength after every battle, whether the fight be one with a Sayian or a slug.  There was always the chance that his "gift" was genetic, that his genes had been mutated in an interesting way.  But he liked to believe that this wasn't the answer; that he was just the Legendary, plain and simple.

But whether legend or not, it was pure fact that Kakarroto was the strongest Sayian around and the alpha male of his time.  Ask any third class for a second opinion, if you desired to doubt.

Kakarroto finished his second snack and reached for another.  He stopped himself, though, figuring to step into town and get himself something quick.  If he were fortunate, he'd spot a lucky male and his current mate—a mate he could steal.  Kakarroto grinned wolfishly at the thought, putting his boots on.  That was possibly his favorite pastime—next to combat and eating, of course.

He glanced at the clock half-heartedly, wondering if he'd be able to be back in time for his seven o' clock guest.  He dismissed his concern, however.  If he were late, it would be nothing more than her loss.

That's the end of the prologue.  Goku's name is going to stick to Kakarroto the entire way through, because he's never been to Earth.  His attitude will be like that through most of the story, too.  (He's meant to be waaaaaay out of character.)  Bulma and Chi-Chi are also going to pose as Sayians just to simplify matters.  That's all I can think to say…  Oh, and let's just hope that there are no STDs on Vegetasei, because if there were, Kakarroto would be swarming with them.  X(

Next Sunday it's the real beginning of the story!  Ciao!

~**P**udgoose


	2. One

**Disclaimer**:  Don't own it.  Never will.

**Author's Note**:  This has been probably my biggest project in all of my fanfiction-writing-history.  I tried my hardest to make it flow like an actual novel, centered around one main character and have many underlying themes.  (And trust me, there are MANY underlying themes.  ;)  Look for them.)  

**Dedication**:  This WHOLE chapter (as well as the story) is dedicated to my maggot and friend, **Stef-chan** (User ID: 147277).  ^_^;;  Whyyyy is it dedicated to her?  CAUSE SHE DESERVES IT!  She gave me the idea, the ending (sorta… I actually kinda took it from her.  u.u), and has been a good editor for me.  And look, no matter what genre you're looking for when you're searching for DBZ fanfiction, Stef's got it!  She's got romance (of course…), drama, suspense, angst, humor, AND poetry!  Wow, great variety, huh?  Her stories are there for you, no matter what mood you're in!  So bring in those reviews for her too!

The Brute 

Chapter One

The younger added another dish to the pile that Bardock was already washing.  Bardock growled and turned around.

"Son, at the rate you're eating and the rate I'm washing, I'll never be through."

"Uh-huh."

Bardock sneered and turned back around, indulging his hands in the dirty, sudsy water once more.  He mumbled several negative things under his breath, till the unmentionables he was saying became so passionate that Kakarroto could hear him.  "…stupid, uncaring son.  I come back from a five-day mission, and _this_ is how I'm greeted.  Not a, 'Hello Father!  How'd you and your crew do?' or a, 'Have any new battle scars to show me?'  No, the only thing I'm welcomed with is, 'Wash the dishes.  I'm running out of clean ones.'"

"Shut up, old man.  I can't hear myself think."

"Since when did you 'think?'"

"I'm thinking about the slowest and most painful way to kill you.  Shut up."

Kakarroto smirked when his father said nothing more.  "How'd you and your crew do?" he asked sarcastically, sitting on the kitchen table.

There was a grunt.  "Well not that _you_ care, but we actually did reasonably well.  Toma was the only one that received a black eye, and the full moon came precisely on time.  We were prepared and everything."

"Congratulations."

Bardock turned and stared at him.  "And seeing as how you're so fascinated with everything that goes on in your father's life, I thought you might like to know—Raditz is coming home."

"My wonder brother?" Kakarroto groaned, rolling his eyes and sliding off the table.

"Don't mock him like that!"  Bardock continued, "He's your older brother.  You should look up to him!  Aren't you excited at all that he's finally coming home?"

"Head's up Bardock: I don't _know_ Raditz.  As far as I'm concerned, he's never existed.  He's dead to me."

"He is _not_ dead, and he is coming home," the father barked, his ashy eyes donning a glare.  "Tomorrow, too, I believe.  If you had been more interested in political affairs than your _own _affairs, you'd have known before now that Frieza officially announced the news to Vegetasei three days ago.  Prince Vegeta has served his time, and will be returning tomorrow along with Elite Superior Nappa and your brother."

"Whoop-di-do," Kakarroto said.  "Let's throw a party."

"As a matter of fact, we _are_.  A welcome home party."

"Trust me, I won't be attending."

Bardock took several steps foreword and boxed his son's ears.  Though it actually hurt, and though Kakarroto would have normally retaliated, he stood still, his mouth agape in shock.  His father rarely struck him, generally from the fear of being struck back by the obvious stronger.

Kakarroto stared down a glare, and his father spoke up.  "You _will_ be attending, if you know what's good for you.  Otherwise I shall publicly disown you.  Kakarroto, this is your _brother_ we're talking about!  Your own blood!"  Bardock took a deep breath and continued, "You might have thrown your cocky, smart ass attitude around here for a long while, but this is my last nerve, and I won't take it any longer."

That's what Bardock said—or, rather, tried to say.  But before he could finish his sentence, Kakarroto had shoved him backwards, against the counter.

"And what are you going to do about it, Bardock?" he laughed.

Father continued to return his son's attitude with a glare and another look, extremely subtle yet definitely present, and closest to a nervous pout in comparison.

"Good," said the younger with a soft tone.  "Now if you don't mind, I believe I'll head out for more of _my affairs_.  See you later."

"Be back by tomorrow!" Bardock called after him as Kakarroto made for the door.  "We're going to the North Wing to attend the prince's arrival!"

For all the good it did, he might as well have been shouting at the dishes to clean themselves.  His statement was followed with an abrupt slam of the door, one that rattled the glass windows uncomfortably in their panes.

Kakarroto took off into the sky and crossed his arms, anger swirling in his mind, permeating through his thoughts.  Raditz was to be home tomorrow… Raditz, the wonder child.  Raditz, the born Elite.  Raditz, his father's favorite son.

If there was ever a subject that Bardock loved to talk about, it was the said Sayian.  Even if he were talking to mild acquaintances or complete strangers even, Bardock eventually led himself back to Raditz.  If he and another were commenting on food, he would turn the topic around to Raditz's favorite dishes.  If battles and fighting techniques were the theme, he'd discuss in great detail all the moves Wonder-Brother-Raditz had developed and mastered on his own.

And Kakarroto honestly had had enough of "Raditz" to last him a lifetime.

He stopped his flight and landed in a tree outside the city, halfheartedly watching two brats settle a squabble in a flurry of fists and feet.  The truth was, he'd never met Raditz before.  The only thing he had to rely on were stories—tales of the wondrous things his brother had accomplished.  He'd heard of how Raditz had been born with an astounding power level, automatically making him a Super Elite.  He'd heard of how Raditz's early-aged strength had extremely impressed King Vegeta, putting him close in the inner circle of Vegetasei.  And from what Kakarroto could summarize, he had a clear image of a man with neatly pressed clothes, his boots shined to a gleaming finish, his tail fluffy in the loveliest of ways, and not a speck of dirt on him—a regular goody-two-shoes.  His bad boy self snorted and scoffed at the idea.  He doubted that no matter how "great" Raditz was, he had never been the biggest player of the decade.

The boys stopped fighting beneath him when they became conscious of his presence.  They stared at him with awing fear as he stared back.  One finally swallowed and spoke up, tenderly nursing his scratched palms from the just-canceled fight.

"You're… Kakarroto, right?"

"Yes," the former grunted, dropping out of his tree.  His tail swayed lazily from side to side with unspoken confidence.  The boy glanced at his friend, but didn't dare take his gaze off the older Sayian for too long.

"My brother talks about you a lot."

"Oh?"

"Yes," said the boy.  "He—he says that you cheated in that fight with him.  Did you?"

Kakarroto lifted his eyebrow.  "Who's your brother?"

"Veet, of the second class.  He fought you several days ago."  The boy hesitated.  "Did you really cheat?"

Still, he chose not to answer.  Instead he filed through the memories of his brain, and he finally remembered Veet: an extremely tall fellow with a loud mouth and an ugly face that held a strange resemblance to a boulder Kakarroto had once seen.  He smirked.

"You've got a heck of a brother there, kid," he said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.  He felt the urchin freeze underneath him.  "Let's just hope that you don't turn out to be half the hideous moron he is, or else someone might mistake you for a beast and shoot you."

The other boy watched, as still as a statue, as his friend was patted on the shoulder.  Then Kakarroto turned, smirked again, and continued his destined trip to the city.

The sky was dismally plain, and though it still held its usual pigment of red, it was boring and looked drizzly.  It reminded him of tomato soup (as most all Sayians were easily reminded of food): thick, unsurprising, and unenthusiastic.  He sniffed the air, and identified anther smell he loved—the wet, natural, and crisp smell of rain.

It was going to rain tomorrow; he could tell.  Kakarroto smirked.  He hoped it rained all over Raditz when he took his first steps off that undoubtedly grand and glorious spaceship.

Vegetasei was a large planet that hosted a small race.  Once crowded and busy, as it had housed two peoples, it was now spacious and boring, containing a population of approximately five thousand Sayians.  Because of this modest number, the planet only contained two cities—rather, two cities worth visiting: the North Wing and South Wing.  The North Wing was by far more interesting and generally contained higher-classed individuals, as well as the royal palace itself.  The South Wing was rough, tough, and uncultured, but known for its constantly active entertainment.  Kakarroto and his father lived closer to South Wing, but somewhere much further out into the non-existent west.

Kakarroto gave way to surprise as he reached the innards of South Wing.   His eyes grew slightly wider, though only mildly so, as he noted a body on the ground.  He took several steps closer and kicked its form, confirming his assumption that it really was dead and not just a passed out drunkard.  He snorted, looked around at the bare streets and busy bars, then turned his attention back to the dead Sayian so he might bring his tribute of acknowledgement to a close before he continued on his way.  He walked for a while afterwards, an interested spring in its step.

Strange—there was normally more than one dead body on the streets of South Wing.

He glided into one of his favorite bars with born ease, a walk he had inherited from his father.  He pointedly ignored the gestures several known whores sent his way, and made his way to his usual seat.  Apart from the easy females in the corner, no one else seemed to have noticed his entrance, something highly unusual.  They were all too busy talking about the same topic: Prince Vegeta.

Kakarroto rolled his ashen eyes as he stopped walking, blasting a fat Sayian out of his seat.  At the scream of pain, everyone stopped and stared—both from fear as well as corrupt intrigue.  The majority of the crowd grew hushed at the sight of him, as they always did, spare all the women present, who giggled and cooed to themselves.

The bartender was new that night, he noticed.  Kakarroto needed to put him in his place early.  He ordered his regular drink in a monotonous, vibratory voice, as most of the room was now devoid of sound.  The servant fulfilled his request, unnerved by the sudden silence, and handed Kakarroto his drink.  Before he could move, however, the Sayian had grabbed him by his shirt and practically pulled him across the counter, his face like a thundercloud.

"Hello," he growled slowly.  "What's that?  My name, you say?  It's Kakarroto.  You're going to remember that."

"Kakarroto?"

"Yes.  Now then, let me see—yes, that's the look.  I like that look.  Fear will get you far with me.  I promise you that."

"Kill him Kakarroto," someone encouraged; one of the women he'd slept with.  "Kill him.  Beat him up.  Put him in his place."

"Quiet, whore," he spat, sending a detectable mist in the bartender's direction.  He shoved the bartender backwards and sat down, grabbing his drink with rough hands.  He took a sip, made a face at the foam he had inhaled, and decided to let his drink sit a while longer before drinking more.  He looked around.

"Talk!" he barked into the silence, shocking people back to life.  They turned back around to the partners of their tables and shifted slightly in their seats, but no one said a thing.  Fear was chasing every nonchalant idea away from their tongue.

Kakarroto turned to the fellow to the left of him, whose gaze was fixed on his hands.  Kakarroto smirked and nudged him.  "What's all this buzz about the prince?"

"Well, I um—I… Haven't you hea—"  The man stilled his tongue and thought better of his choice of words.  "The prince is officially coming back to Vegetasei tomorrow, along with Elite Superior Nappa and Elite Superior Raditz."

"Well of course I know that," Kakarroto snorted, rolling his eyes.  "Who doesn't?  I just thought you losers would have gotten over that news by _now_.  It's not that big of a deal."

The man beside him worded silently.  He finally caught himself and stared hard at his hands again.  "Well… everyone was just commenting on—on the welcome home party for the prince.  Everyone's required to be there, and—"

"Required?" Kakarroto groaned.

The man nodded.  "Yes, of course.  You'll be killed otherwise for disrespect.  But there's word that there's going to be a large feat that everyone will partake in, even third class.  Though, personally, I'd hate to get shit like that near _my_ food.  They'd probably contaminate it."

The taller's jaw rocked on its hinge.  "Oh yea?" he said lightly, looking the man up and down.  His eyes flitted to the seal pinned over his heart, affirming his second class position.

"Yea."  He laughed lightly to himself.  "You know, I've thought about this for a bit, and I've come upon the theory that third class Sayians really _did_ come from monkeys, you know?  Just crawled out of the jungles of somewhere."

Kakarroto was flabbergasted that the Sayian would have the courage (or the stupidity…) to say this to him, because, even if he _didn't_ know Kakarroto-the-Great, third class weren't necessarily pushovers, especially when compared to the league just above theirs.  His mind checked himself, though, and he remembered that he had left his seal at home.  He could be first class for all the guy beside him knew.

The excuse, no matter how reasonable, wasn't enough, however.  Kakarroto laughed in supposed light agreement for a few moments before, suddenly, he shut his eyes out of the light and grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him into kissing range.  He made a point to breathe heavily through his nose, onto the man's face.  The bar, which had only just begun to get slightly louder, became forebodingly silent in a flash, as if they had expected this to happen.

The prey Kakarroto held was too shocked to do much more than struggle in his grip for a few seconds, which made the latter's rage grow at a rapid rate.  The more Kakarroto watched him squirm, watched him writhe in pain and fear, the more he wanted to crush his skull.

"Crawled out of the jungles, did we?" he asked, his lips grazing over the other man's as he spoke.  The latter stopped moving momentarily as a fleeting look of horror crossed his countenance.  He suddenly found his tongue.

"What?  Out of the jungles?  You?  No!  Of—of course not!  Look—look, I was only kidding—"  He swallowed.  "Only kidding!  You know that, right?"

Everyone watched as a grin spread incredibly wide, far across Kakarroto's teeth, up to his canines.  Some wondered if they should take this baring of his teeth as a warning rather than a smile, for there was a sadistic, almost mirthful look in his eyes.  A few Sayians even crept out the back of the bar, unnoticed, in case pandemonium broke out.  Kakarroto gave the slightest hint of a nod, so as to not bump heads with the other man.

"Yea," he whispered slowly.  "Yea… I know."

Faster than any of the second and third class present could see, Kakarroto's knee made contact with the other man's abdomen and continued to slide up several inches higher, so as to knock the senses out of his diaphragm.  The other gaped, but no air came in.  He leaned on Kakarroto's shoulder, but no sympathy was had.

And when everyone had finally realized what the third class terror had done, he'd already gone through the liberty of killing his victim, leaving a bloody mess on the floor.

Silence reigned over all.  Kakarroto sneered at the blood that had splattered on his once-clean boots.  He made a small, disapproving noise, and rubbed the blood off in a smear on the corpse's shirt.

"Sorry about that," he drawled to the bartender, shooting him a feisty, challenging smirk.  "Two messes to clean up… tsk tsk tsk… and you being new here and all."  He paused, glanced around the room, and straightened his posture before continuing, "You remember my name, right?"

The bartender wanted to be any place _but_ where he was.  He stood as still as a statue, crouched over slightly, the back of his neck as hot as flame.  "Ka—Kakarroto."

"Very good."

Kakarroto stretched and looked about the room, shaking his limbs to rid himself of the adrenaline that had built up.  He looked for a new, unfamiliar feminine face, but, upon finding none, looked pointedly at the most attractive woman present and hiked his thumb at himself.  She stood up with a giggle, her step accented by a heavy clunking of her high-heeled boots, and intertwined her arm with his.  He frowned.

"I suppose you'll _have_ to do," he said in a loud, distasteful voice.  But as she snuggled further into his chest, she didn't seem to hear him.  He led her out to the entrance of the bar, the eyes of every jealous female and nervous male upon the pair.  "But, mind you, father's back from his mission."

"Oh," she said in a pout, her lower lip protruding under the top.  "So I guess that means I'll—"  He smirked and laid a finger on her heavily painted lips.

"Don't be so upset!  You didn't let me finish!  Father's back, I said, and I'm more pissed at him than usual."  He grinned.  "So I want you to be twice as loud as usual tonight, just to irk him.  All right?"

She laughed a hee-hawing laugh, finally ending it in a wink.  "I'll do anything you want me to."

"Uhm-hum."

And the two then quit the bar and strolled down South Wing's wide streets, one with the grace of a tiger, the other with the grace of a baby giraffe.

The first chapter=uneventful.  BUT DON'T GIVE OUT ON ME YET!  ^_^;;  There's still plenty of action to come!  In fact, in the next chapter, they'll be some… uh… stuff happening!  ^^;;  Can't say just yet, but… if you stick around with me, you'll find out!  ^_^

~**Pudgoose**


	3. Two

**Disclaimer**:  Go ask the other guy.

**Apology**:  I wanted to apologize for not being regular.  (I sound like some sort of constipation medicine.)  Sooo sorry.  I have no excuse other than forgetfulness.  So in "repent", I posted two chapters, this week's and last week's.  Sorry again!

**Author's Note**:  This chapter was started and completed within a lapse of three hours.  Beat that.  I dare you.

**The Brute**

Chapter Two

"Excuse me—excuse me!  Coming through!  Ye—yes, I'm Elite Superior Raditz's father.  I need to be up front!  Excuse me!"

Kakarroto rolled his eyes and readjusted the third class seal on his chest, strutting after his father with a wide stride, making a point to bump into as many people as possible on either side of him, no matter what class they might be.  Bardock was much more polite, however, and wormed his way through with many an excuse and a light foot.  When they had finally reached the front of the group, making sure to be able to see the spaceship's entrance when it arrived, Kakarroto turned to his father.  He smirked.  Bardock was brushing himself off.

"You're such a puss," he murmured, bending at the knees slightly to make sure his voice reached his target's ears.  With such a commotion going on, Kakarroto wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't even hear himself.

"And what makes you say that _this_ time?" the elder grumbled back.  Kakarroto chuckled sadistically and flicked his father's ear with his finger.

"You know why."  He paused and then feigned his father's deep voice with his own.  "Oh, excuse me!  Pardon me, sir.  Excuse me, don't let me step on your feet!  Pardon me if I brush by you, sir!  Oh my, will you allow me to go out of my way to lick your boots, sir?  Wash your tail?  Polish your shoes, perhaps?"

Bardock tilted his nose in the air, staring eagerly at the area in which the spaceship would soon be landing.  "You should learn from me.  It's because of people like me that chaos and havoc do not reign."

Kakarroto crossed his arms with a hearty snort.  "Wrong again, Bardock.  It's people like _you_ that people like me get to step all over."

Bardock coughed but said nothing more.  So instead, Kakarroto turned his attention to the sky, squinted and scowled, tiny beads of rain creating patterns on his face.  He was never one to like wet weather.  Granted, he relished the smell of it, but other than that he could have sure done without a good soaking.  In fact, if he were being honest with himself, he didn't want to be where he was at all.  His father had dragged him along—his father, and the fact that death would surely be in his future if he didn't attend.

He peered around at the crowd for any familiar faces.  There were none.  The horde of third class Sayians were in the back, the second had followed, first had come after them, and now Kakarroto was surrounded by a select few of bulky, yet strangely elegant, Super Elite males and females.  Only the few, privileged immediate family members were exceptions to this rule.

Kakarroto hardly felt privileged at all.

But then again, this was new territory.  He glanced around the feminine faces for another look, and noticed that, as a whole, Super Elite women were goddesses compared to second and third.  Granted, they were muscular, brawny, and most likely much stronger than him, but there was an air of healthy importance in each female that made him stop and double back for a second study.  He sighed irritably.  If only he'd been born with a higher power level.

"Five more minutes," Bardock announced with a hardly suppressed grin.  No amount of scorching heat or bitter cold could have dimmed that smile, much less a little rain.  "Five more minutes until the ship arrives."

Five more minutes, Kakarroto pondered.  Five more minutes till Hell itself combined with his life.  He groaned pointedly, but most everyone ignored him, buzzing in excited whispers to themselves and their peers.  Kakarroto stared at the mud on his shoes with an angry, lost look, feeling more left out than ever.  He wished unconditionally that he were back with his group of third classed "friends."  He was probably the only one present that wasn't enjoying this day.

If nothing else, he certainly felt that way.

Suddenly, the palace doors to his right opened, and out strutted the mighty King of Vegetasei, a bodyguard flanked on either side.  Kakarroto and Bardock couldn't help but gape and stare, accompanying their humble kneel.  Every super elite on their sides, however, gave little more than a quick bow, as most had undoubtedly seen the king on a weekly basis, if not more.  The king, with his ever-present widow's peak and smutty eyes, had always been one to make anyone feel inferior.  Kakarroto often wondered afterwards if King Vegeta had written the book of pride.

He stopped where the plush, ret, velvety carpet ended, not three meters directly in front of the third class pair.  He stood with his hands behind his back, his chest and armor stuck out like a hill from his body, his shoulders erect and strong like a heavy titanium pipe, and his legs as sturdy and as present as mountains.  Kakarroto never knew anyone that filled him with such out-of-breath awe—and terror—at the same time.  Not even his father had ever had that much of an effect.  He swallowed.  No matter how much he couldn't stop staring, and no matter how envious he was of the hearty king, Kakarroto didn't like this rare, frightened feeling.

With an abrupt turn of his head, as if he could sense the third class's gaze all along, King Vegeta turned and pierced the subordinate's stare with a look of his own.  Kakarroto immediately bowed, lowering his face and flashing the back of his neck to his superior; he wasn't sure how long to keep his gaze to the ground, or if he had even been dismissed at all.  But when he chanced to glance back up, the king had gone to staring up at the sky, the rain pouring on his hard features and running into his dark beard.

Bardock glanced at the sky as if looking for the sun, now hidden behind the heavy belly of clouds. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he got a word out, King Vegeta's booming voice announced the words for him.

"**QUIET**!" he shouted to open space above, and silence spread like a plague through the crowd.  Everyone turned to look at the sky.  "**THEY ARE DUE ANY SECOND NOW**!"

Kakarroto stared above him with anxiousness more than anticipation.  His breath was deep but forced, and his stomach was crouched and ready to jump.  After nearly a minute of blindly winking up at the clouds, rain constantly falling in his eyes, he turned his face to the ground, stretching the crick out of his neck.  He absentmindedly noticed that the ground was now soaked and soggy, and his feet, along with his father's, had sunk about half an inch.  He groaned and shifted his boots, cursing the suctioned sound that followed.  It felt like he was standing in gum.

Shortly afterward, a nearby thundercloud exploded with a blast of thunder.  The low class Sayian instinctively searched the sky for lightening, though, of course, there was none to be seen.

He grinned.  Lightening… didn't that make for poor landing weather?  What if it struck the ship?  He entertained his mind with absurd pictures of Burnt Toast a' la' Raditz before a sharp whistling noise interrupted his train of thought.

Kakarroto blinked and looked up at the sky, and his eyes widened when he spotted it.  Several of the Sayians pointed and began to murmur excitedly.  A weight felt like it had dropped in his stomach; there the ship was, slowing down with all its might, peeling back the dark and threatening clouds with bold, shining, and untouchable aplomb.

Sooner than he had hoped, the ship finally came to a stop.  The chatter around him, which had grown climactic the past few seconds, came to an abrupt halt.  Tangible silence replaced it.  When Bardock suddenly clutched his arm, Kakarroto knew it to be involuntarily, and he didn't even have enough spunk left in him to tell his father to let go.  Every muscle seemed to have seized itself, along with Bardock's hand.

Droplets rolled off the side of the spaceship like they would off the back of a bird.  Kakarroto swallowed, watching in silence, along with thousands of other eyes, as the spaceship door opened with a hiss.  No one heard it, though.  Thunder clapped as soon as the door opened.

It was as if time had tripped on itself and was now crawling at an unbearably slow rate.  Each beat of Kakarroto's heart was loud in his ears and ever-present in his throat.  He watched in agony as out stepped a muscular beast of a man, tall, scarred and menacing.  He swallowed tightly, clenched his fists, and sized the man up: there was a hard past buried in his eyes, and though he stood erect and proud, it was more defensive than dignified.  Kakarroto took a deep breath and tore his eyes away from the stranger to glance at his father.

Bardock shook his head.

"Not yet," he whispered.  "That's not him.  That's Elite Superior Nappa."

Everyone was silent in awe—the elders not believing what they saw, the younger generation wondering exactly who it was they saw.  Kakarroto breathed again; the initial shock and dread was over, and all that was left was a dull, numb anxiousness.  He half-mindedly watched the so-called Nappa step off the ramp and approach his king, growing taller every second.  When he reached proper kneeling distance, he crouched down and genuinely covered his heart with his hand.

Another being stepped out the door.

But Kakarroto had no doubt in his mind as to who this was.  As soon as he saw him, he knew.  In fact, Kakarroto had even looked back to check on King Vegeta and make sure that he was still there, and that he was not the one walking off the ramp.  He swallowed and turned back to the former—turned back to Prince Vegeta.

There was something utterly indescribable in his eyes that kept everyone silent and on their toes.  The aura around his eyes was harsh and untrusting, full of disbelief, as if almost certain it would find out that this was all a cruel trick, and that it would be ordered back into the flanks of Frieza's army again.  There was a bobbing of several Adam's apples throughout the crowd.  Kakarroto had never seen such hateful eyes—and yet he wanted more of them.  He wanted to sit and stare at them forever, as if their barricade might give way someday, and he'd find out what had caused the force field in the first place.  When Vegeta finally reached his father, the two stared long and hard into each other's eyes, Prince Vegeta's hand rising up to his heart.  From the distance he was at, Kakarroto was able to see the tremble of hope—and maybe relief—in his prince's limbs.

"Kneel!" Kakarroto heard his father hiss from far away.  He blinked out of his gaze and turned to look at Bardock, who was bent at the knee, along with every other Sayian present.  He blushed, despite himself, and fell into place.

Thunder clapped again, louder than ever, and the rain began to fall with force and a slight breeze of wind.  Kakarroto straightened himself up and shifted his feet, absent-mindedly brushing the majority of the mud off his spandex.  Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that the next—and the last—person to step off the ship would really be his older brother.

Now that the prince had stepped off the spaceship, hardly anyone paid Raditz any mind when he arrived on the scene.  But Kakarroto did, and he was honestly surprised with what he saw.  His father having never taken any pictures of Raditz, Kakarroto was blind as to what he might have looked like.  But he knew now.  Long, knee-length hair and an unusually long tail that was as fluffy as he had pictured were first to be noticed, but there was something else present that he hadn't expected.  On Raditz's face was a scowl—an indifferent, hateful scowl.  It seemed to say "F— you, world," and it was not something Kakarroto had ever imagined, especially not from a goody-two-shoes.  Kakarroto glanced at his father.  Bardock seemed just as surprised as he was, but he had a hard look of solemn acceptance.

The last finally reached his king, and he kneeled down alongside Nappa.  Kakarroto watched as King Vegeta smiled, his eyes still on his son, and listlessly motioned for the pair at his feet to rise.  The king tore himself away, turned to the surrounding crowd, and bellowed in a voice not natural for a man his size: "**VEGETA, PRINCE OF VEGETASEI!**"

The noise that erupted shortly after was mind-boggling, and, like most, Kakarroto stuck his fingers in his ears to ease the pain.  But while everyone was hollering and clapping out of genuine joy, the youth had to feign his, his eyes never straying from his brother.  Raditz's scowl seemed to almost curve into a smile at the ruckus, proud of himself, his prince, and his people.  He searched the surrounding crowds for sight of his father, and, upon spotting him, smiled even wider.  His eyes strayed just a spot more to the left.

Kakarroto met his brother's eyes with his own.

Lightening cracked and hissed.  Thunder bellowed not a split-second later.

Almost everyone jumped at how close the strike was, and they eventually became silent.  King Vegeta bellowed slowly again, "**JOIN ME INSIDE TO WELCOME BACK OUR PRINCE!  ALL, FROM ELITES TO THIRD CLASS, ARE WELCOME TO THIS FEAST!**"

There was a hustle and bustle and even a degree of shoving as everyone slowly filed for the palace.  Bardock and Kakarroto remained, however, and Raditz headed in their direction.  Kakarroto watched him with beady, studying eyes and an abnormally stiff posture.  Raditz had that same, long-legged, handsome strut that he and Bardock had.  Not to mention that his brother wasn't half that bad looking.  Kakarroto's face steadily grew sullen.

"Father," Raditz greeted in a rolling, handsome voice.  Kakarroto fought to hide a building scowl.  Bardock, however, was fighting back something totally different—a smile, and he was losing terribly.

"Son!" he shouted, and, without a second thought of shame, wrapped Raditz tightly in his arms.  Though Kakarroto noticed his brother looked awkward at first, the son soon fell at ease and returned the embrace with a tired, relieved laugh.  Both looked so thrilled in the presence of one another that it almost made onlookers think the rain had stopped.  Kakarroto, however, could have exploded.

"Ah, Father, Father!  Great to see you!  So great!"

"I can hardly believe it either!"

"It's been what?  Twenty years?"

"Seems like SO much longer!  I've missed you so much!  Everyone has!"

Kakarroto was half a thought away from spitting.  He wanted to take off and never return.  Or, better yet, he wanted to challenge Raditz right then and there—challenge him to a death duel, and just _see_ if he didn't measure up.  And then maybe he'd take off… Raditz turned and looked at him, however, with such a hearty smile that Kakarroto almost—_almost_—felt guilty.

"And… and you're Kakarroto, right?"  The one spoken to nodded his head.  "Wow!  It's great to finally meet you!  You're taller than I had pictured… I had heard of your birth while on one of Frieza's ships, but that was pretty much it.  Just a, 'Your brother was born yesterday' notice."

Kakarroto grunted.  That was all he found that he could do.  His throat was tight and clogged and his mouth was glued shut.  Bardock captured his son's attention again.

"There's a welcome home party set up for you, Raditz!  After we're done at Prince Vegeta's party, we'll come back home and enjoy ourselves.  I invited everyone I knew!"

There was a pause in speech, filled only by happy smiles.  But Raditz's face lightened up in question, and next few words were hesitant, low, and, perhaps, even embarrassed.  "Even… oh Father, even Chi-Chi?"

"She's still yours!  Has kept herself away from any other these past twenty years!"  Bardock laughed.  "That's one dedicated female you've got!  Very rare, and a very good girl…"

Kakarroto perked up.  Chi-Chi?  That didn't sound like one of the women he knew or had ever slept with.

"Great, great!  How wonderful!  I can't wait to see her… It's been so long that all I remember is a small girl with dark pigtails.  But I suppose she's a full-grown woman now…"

"_Very_ grown."

Kakarroto listened with interest.  Chi-Chi.  She was obviously someone his father knew, and most definitely someone Raditz knew.  So why had he never heard of her?

"Well," Raditz said, breaking the silence.  "Let's go and attend Prince Vegeta's party, shall we?  We actually have three seats reserved at the High Table for us.  I coaxed the prince into allowing you two to join."

While Kakarroto could have broken his brother's nose, Bardock could have practically kissed his son's cheek.  Raditz was finally back—his son, his first, his blood—and Kakarroto had never seen so much pride in his father's eyes.  It was a look that was quickly filling him with rage.

"It's been so long," Raditz sighed.  And, as if from a sudden thought, he turned to Bardock with a smile, "Oh, I forgot to ask: Father, have you any new battle scars to show me?"

That was the last straw.

Now Kakarroto _knew_ there really was a Hell, and it was the story of his life.

Laughs  You guys recognize that last bit?    You should!  It was in the last chapter, do-dos!  

Lovies like always!

**P**udgoose


	4. Three

**Disclaimer**: Everything is not mine, aside from the idea. And if you steal my COPYRIGHTED idea (lol), I'LL KILL YOU! Crazed Puddy glares

**Author's Notes**: I had the HARDEST time trying to figure out names for all the people I stuck in here. Arg… I never knew there were that many vegetables in my life… and I didn't WANT to know.

> **The Brute**
> 
> Chapter Three

There were some comments that Kakarroto could stand, and there were others that he couldn't. Generally, the former contained compliments or insults to himself. Insults he could deal with easily, finding a quick source to the problem in taking out the insulter's tongue. And compliments—who didn't enjoy a good compliment? But the latter—the things he couldn't stand—tended to be anything spoken to anyone else, specifically compliments towards people who didn't deserve them. 

Kakarroto had never realized that there were so many brainless morons on Vegetasei before, and that Bardock seemed to know them all. But, he supposed, it made sense to him. Idiots attracted idiots, didn't they? What was really bothering him laid in the fact that these idiots all seemed to worship his older brother. It was like they had never seen a Super Elite Sayian before, and now that they had, they were making up for all the years that lacked the praising of a superior.

Not to mention that Raditz was gloating in it all. Sure, he would wave his hand and grin, muttering something about how he didn't deserve the praise, his prince did, but Kakarroto knew the real truth. He seemed to be the only one that saw Raditz's wicked smile afterwards, saw that conceited look. Well, Kakarroto wasn't going to be one of those brainless idiots. _He_ wouldn't lower himself and allow Raditz to step all over _him_.

That was why, for the past hour and a half, he had been standing in the corner of his living room. Alone. Silent. Scowling.

And for the entire said time, he had been torn between the extreme desire to leave and the even more extreme desire to stay. It was as if watching Raditz act conceited and proud would further condemn his brother of the felony, and Kakarroto wanted Raditz to have all the condemning possible. He stared in angry silence, breaking his glance every now and then to glare at the few that tried to approach him. Not many did, though. They were too busy preening and ogling and admiring his older brother to think twice about the poor, younger Kakarroto.

That was it: the last straw. Kakarroto had had enough of his elder to last him _two_ lifetimes now, and he wasn't about to wait around for a third. He quit his place at the wall and stormed pointedly through a crowd of people that were avidly discussing Raditz's wicked past, and how hard it must have been to survive it all.

I'm barely surviving this, Kakarroto growled in his mind. Meeting no one else on his way to the front door, he padded through the living room and into the kitchen with a tilted nose and slanted eyes, making for an interesting crease in the center of his face. Before he could grab the door's handle, however, a voice called to him from the living room. Its owner came to stand in the pale, cream kitchen doorframe, a certain look on his face—an annoying look on his face. It was a countenance that clearly said he was having the time of his life, and no one else could have possibly ever had as much fun as he was having.

"Kakarroto! Good, good, I wanted to ask you something," Raditz said.

"_Please_ Raditz. Be my guest. I _live_ to serve you."

"No need for sarcasm, brother," the latter chuckled slowly, his tail grazing the floor behind him. Kakarroto gripped the door handle. "And I'm not asking you for a favor, or anything."

"Well that _is_ a relief."

"I wanted to ask you if you had seen Chi-Chi. It's been close to two hours now, and I haven't seen her yet."

Kakarroto smiled sourly. "Why Raditz! She couldn't have lost interest in you, could she?"

Raditz's frown was familiar to his face, and Kakarroto could tell the thought had been persistant ever since Raditz had first stepped off the spaceship. "Well, father said she was still mine, so I don't think she's lost interest. I was just wondering if you had seen her."

The younger scowled. "Now why would _I_ have seen her and you not?"

"I don't know. I was just asking you if you had. She might be playing some sort of game, or—"

"Or maybe you just wanted to shove the fact that you've got a woman in my face," Kakarroto snapped. Raditz remained still. "Well listen here Raditz, I'm not impressed. You might have one, _might_ have one, but I have about one thousand and one. Got it?"

Raditz's eyes had always been dark, and as his younger brother spoke, they became darker still. Kakarroto snorted and turned the door handle, pulling back the heavy wooden barricade to promptly dismiss himself, when he ran into someone on the other side.

"Oh!" a light voice exclaimed, and there was a thump. While Kakarroto stood in mild shock, wearing a look that one might wear after running into a glass door, Raditz trotted up behind, letting out a startled noise of delight. He grabbed Kakarroto's shoulder as if to steady himself.

During the time Chi-Chi found her feet again and stood back up, Kakarroto's and her eyes never budged from each other. She brushed herself off, as if in a daze and stared at his ashen eyes. She fondly recalled scenes from her childhood, and pictures of a certain five-year-old named Raditz. Only her childhood lover and his father had eyes that dark, that black. But this was not—it couldn't be—

"Raditz?" she whispered keenly, touching Kakarroto's armor with sensitive fingertips.

The youth was fully aware of what she'd called him, but he remained silent for a second or two longer, his experienced wit thinking up something wickedly quick in his head.

"Why yes baby!" he purred and cupped Chi-Chi's face in his hands, planting a cold and heavy embrace on her lips. There wasn't much time to experience anything, however, for Raditz hounded his hands on Kakarroto's shoulders and pulled him abruptly away with a horde of angry curses.

For that split second, Kakarroto felt, first-hand, some of the strength Raditz had in him. Raditz had easily pulled him away from the woman he was kissing.

And Kakarroto had been expecting it; he had planted his feet firmly.

"Kakarroto!" his older brother finally spat, shoving the accused behind him. Kakarroto tottered for a second or two but quickly found his balance, as most all Sayians would have done. Now over his shock, Raditz released the second brigade of his emotions and shot Kakarroto an angry, _angry_ look.

"That is not—ignore him, he's not—" While Raditz sputtered to find his tongue, he turned back around to Chi-Chi and stared at her intently. "That is not Raditz! _I'm_ Raditz! That's my younger brother, Kakarroto!"

Chi-Chi's long Sayian tail twitched lightly in confusion as she stared up at this more familiar pair of dark eyes. Slowly her gaze turned back down to examine the one who had kissed her, and her eyes eventually fell on his third-class seal, which Kakarroto had forgotten to remove since he had gotten home. Her eyes widened and her tail twitched again, but, this time, with more irritation and indignation.

She turned back to the former. "Raditz…" she mumbled, glancing at his seal of status to confirm herself. She studied him, so many features having had changed over his coarse and complicated past, yet a cherished few having remained the same: like his eyes. A smile graced her already graceful lips, and Raditz returned it.

"My Chi-Chi…"

She laughed richly, full of bliss, and eventually stopped and winked at him with a knowing smirk. "I haven't been called that for twenty years. And for a while there, I thought I'd _never_ hear it again!"

Kakarroto rolled his eyes and composed himself, making his presence known. When her eyes met his, they filled with immediate hate and disgust, and her tail wrapped itself around her waist and shuddered.

"And who are _you_, so called Kakarroto, to be kissing _me_?" she snapped, crossing her arms. Kakarroto rested one arm of his own on his narrow hip and let the other hang. His body and mouth remained collectively silent. Raditz, who had calmed down from his rage, loudly snorted out his remaining anger.

"My third-class brother. Kakarroto, this is _first-class_ Chi-Chi."

Upon this announcement of title, Chi-Chi's eyes danced sadistically, as if she were some kind of royalty to be adored. And why shouldn't she, for Raditz had declared her as if she were. Kakarroto rolled his eyes.

"What a _pleasure_," he spat. "Forgive me if I don't dance for joy."

"Quite all right," Chi-Chi answered back, before Raditz could. "Believe me, I wouldn't demand that much from a third class. It might baffle your mind… but that's all right. You may bow for me."

Kakarroto paused only momentarily before he headed through the door, shoving the couple out of his way. "I do not bow for anyone, much less _females_," he growled over his shoulder.

"You might want to bow before I make you, third-class," she quipped sweetly. The Sayian's mind wavered on the thought of leaving them behind then, but he had to throw in one more insult before he could have officially won that fight. And Kakarroto never fled from an unaccomplished battle.

"Honey," he drawled, turning around and ignoring his brother's flashing eyes, "you might want to watch yourself. I might make you bow for me, and then catch you from behind."

He took off with a smirk to accompany his words, hopefully worming its way into her thoughts and settling to haunt her mind. The wind washed his face and bathed his hair in its own natural oils as he flew. He did a loop and a flip for anyone that might have been staring from the ground, pleased with his experienced wit and snide comments. He'd never insulted a first class before (and he sure as Hell wasn't going to insult a first class male any time soon), and this new experience had his adrenaline pumping and his senses tingling. In fact, he had half a mind to fly back and insult her again, just to stay on this pleasurable high.

He fixed Raditz's face in his mind, loving that expression. Finally, the demon in Raditz had emerged, and all because he had kissed his brother's woman. It was fascinating, he noted, at how quickly he found the key to unlocking the cage of rage. He was naturally gifted that way, he surmised.

The fresh picture of Chi-Chi was still in his mind, as crisp and as clear as if he were watching her mirrored reflection. As he had noticed before, she was a first-class woman, and gorgeous because of it. He appreciated her looks as something he had experienced rarely, for most of the women he'd been with, if not all, had a very cheap, uncultured look. But he saw what Raditz had seen early on, even at the age of five; not only did she have natural beauty, but she also carried her body and tongue well. Every word was pronounced in a way that baffled the listener, not matter what their façade said.

And to frost the cake, there was no denying that it felt rather pleasant bumping into her.

Despite all the positive things, Kakarroto eventually found himself scowling, his high having left him in a monotonous low. No matter how many positives she might have, the negatives seemed to outweigh them all. From what he could gather during their brief meeting, she was vain and conceited, as most first-class were, and as how he knew his brother to be. She had an attitude and a wit to rival his own. She was also loud, irritating, and didn't respond to kisses very well.

He sat in a tree, the same tree he had sat in when he saw those two brats scuffling yesterday. They weren't out there today—probably still at the prince's welcome home celebration. He sighed and looked up at the cloudy sky, the rain having just recently passed, and a dull, cold wetness filling its place. Pieces of the bark he was leaning against stuck to his hands like a three-year-old to a shiny toy. As he was wiping the smut-like substance on his spandex, he opened his ears to the sound of tiny birds chirping several branches above him. He wiped the back of his hand on his upper lip and floated up out of simple curiosity.

The babies quieted automatically when they realized a foreign presence was among them. All five of them sat deadly still, waited, and watched him relentlessly out of the sides of their heads. Their sense of flight having not developed yet, they were at his mercy, and at the mercy of their instincts.

"Where's your mother?" Kakarroto whispered softly to them. He smirked and nudged the nest with one of his fingers. "Where's she gone off to?"

At the sudden movement, four of the five birds in the nest did nothing more than inconspicuously shift to regain their balance, but one of them squeaked. It was a small and brief sound, but occurred nonetheless, and Kakarroto heard it. He smirked and picked the said bird up between his thumb and forefinger.

Its little body writhed and struggled against his firm grip, and the squalls that followed were piercingly shrill and frantic. Kakarroto smirked at the unnerved look the other still and silent birds had, hoping against hope in their small minds that he might leave soon.

He glanced around the branches of the tree, high and low, and spotted an old, abandoned nest. He smirked again and flew up to meet the beautifully crafted basket of twigs, fluff and string, placing the frantic bird inside it. Even after that, however, it continued to cry at the unfamiliar scent around it, crawling ungainly across the nest on its wings and pencil-thin legs.

"Separate you from everyone else, and let's see what happens…" Kakarroto said solemnly. His stomach felt oddly sickened as he left the bird to find more entertaining company elsewhere. Its cries echoed ominously in his ears for several long minutes after.

Kakarroto soon found, however, that entertaining company was not to be easily had. South Wing was as quiet as a morgue compared to its usual hustle and bustle, for most were still attending the planet-welcomed feast, dining on all the good food the palace could amply afford to pass around. His favorite bar was closed too, which was extremely out of place, for it didn't even close on holidays. Kakarroto growled and kicked at the muddy ground with the toe of his boot, glancing up and down the abandoned streets.

Even the dead bodies on the streets seemed to have up and left the ghost town.

"Great," Kakarroto mumbled, "just great. I left the prince's party to attend jackass's party, and I left that to come here. Things seem to keep going steadily downhill. I'm going to end up in a mud pile before this is over."

The sound of laughter somehow bounced across the sticky ground and reached his ears, light and barely audible, signaling from far off. Kakarroto smirked. It seemed to be nothing more than a child's laugh, but anything was better than the nothing he was already in, so he followed the laughter to its source, keeping a wary eye out for mud piles along the way.

"…come and catch me!"

"What? Are you kidding me? I'm not stupid! If I do, you'll throw a mud ball at me, _duh!_"

Kakarroto could distinguish the voices clearer as he got closer. The first voice seemed to be female, and the second male, both hardly older than eight. The first voice continued after a laugh.

"I'll make you eat this mud _pie_ if you don't try to catch me!"

"You couldn't make a starved man eat anything!"

"Oh yea? Watch this! I'm the Mud Super Sayian! Ha!"

There was a round of jubilant laughter again, and as Kakarroto turned past the corner of a building, he saw exactly what he had predicted and more. In the muddy front yard of a moderate home were a boy and a girl, between the ages of six and eight, and they were wrestling in practically what looked like a pigpen. As the girl charged and knocked the boy off his feet, laughing all the while, he picked up a handful of mud and flung it at her face with more force than necessary. She shrieked and tried to wipe the muck out of her eyes and nose, her teeth the only white feature on her face as she laughed. He kicked at her ankles and she fell down on her back, and from then on it seemed to be nothing more than a flailing of splotched limbs, clotted tails, and grime.

Kakarroto snorted. Though entertaining at first, the company of urchins more than a decade younger than him quickly became boring. He turned to leave, but the voice of an older male, seemingly about his own age, suddenly shouted out.

"CAULI!"

The girl stopped what she was doing and immediately looked up. She brushed the material out of her eyes as best she could and looked again.

"Yes?"

"THERE you are! I've spent the past thirty minutes looking for you! I should have known you'd been _here_."

Out of the sky floated a large, bulky male with almost tangible irritation radiating off of him. His tail was flicking back and forth violently, his fists were clinched, and the way he crossed his arms spoke loud enough. Cauli stood up and brushed herself off while her playmate kept his attention to the ground.

"Why? What's wrong with being _here_?"

"You know very well what!"

"I told Mother I was leaving the ceremony! She knew I was gone!"

"Yes, but you told her you were going _home_. This sure as Hell doesn't look like _home_ to me!"

Cauli crossed her stout little arms, jerking her head back to her grounded friend. "So what if I like to spend time with Gus? It's none of your business! And besides, he's much more fun to play with than _you_!"

"It is so my business! Father made it his business, so it's mine as well! Go home _now_!"

"Well I don't have to listen to _you_! _You're_ only second class! _I'm_ first! So ha!"

"I might be second," Kakarroto heard the elder say as he lowered himself to the ground, "but I'm still your big brother, and I'm still stronger than you. And if you don't want to listen to me, then listen to _Dad_, because it's his orders. He doesn't want you playing with third class trash like this anymore!"

Cauli shook as if she'd been slapped, glanced back at Gus, then at her older brother. She growled loudly, audible to Kakarroto even from the distance he was standing at, and flew off into the sky with a shrill, "I HATE YOU!"

No one did anything for several seconds, and then the elder looked at Gus and made a violent hand motion to chase the boy away. As Gus scrambled to his feet and ran inside his home, Kakarroto snickered and stepped foreword from his hiding place. His footsteps squished loudly in the road as he approached, and the other male turned and looked at him. Kakarroto smirked.

"Lovely performance. Only wish I had a younger brat to yell at like that."

The other chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Trust me, you _don't_ want a younger sibling. They're more trouble than they're worth." He paused. "Especially when they're of a higher class than you. Then they get real cocky."

Kakarroto crossed his arms in an attempt to hide his third class seal, but it was too high on his chest to cover inconspicuously. He sighed and instead swung his arms at his side, maintaining his countenance of a smirk.

"I'm Kakarroto."

"Brocc. You have any siblings?"

Kakarroto laughed at the ground. "No, not me."

"Look up at me."

"What?" Kakarroto asked, lifting his head, but only by instinct. Brocc studied his face as if he'd seen it in an old history book before during a class. His eyes darted to Kakarroto's seal, and though the subordinate saw him stiffen, Kakarroto wasn't yelled at like that Gus child had been. Instead, the words that came out of Brocc's mouth were slow and calm, like the breeze right before a thunderstorm. 

"Is your father Bardock?"

"And if he is?"

"Answer yes or no, third class."

Kakarroto's face soured and his eyes darkened. He should have left his seal at home.

"Yes."

"Then you _do_ have a brother. Raditz, right?"

Kakarroto took at deep breath. "I prefer to think of him as of in no relation to myself. But yes, if you must know, he is my biological brother."

Brocc's voice was low. "Good. Now that we know each other, I'd like to say a few things."

"Go ahead."

What happened next was very fast, but surprisingly very slow to the stronger Sayian. Kakarroto saw Brocc's fist flying towards his face as if he were watching a tape play in slow motion, and he raised a hand and caught the threatening limb without effort. Brocc's pupils dilated and condensed quickly, and he let out a deep breath.

"Nice catch," he mumbled.

"Thanks."

"You," he continued, swallowing, and rage building in his eyes, "are the guy that stole my Sauer. She was _my_ woman."

"Oh yea?"

"_Yes_," Brocc hissed, digging his fist harder into Kakarroto's palm. "_My_ woman, jackass."

"I've had so many. It's hard to keep track of them all."

"YOU'LL HAVE A SCAR TO REMEMBER HER BY SOON!"

"Hey," Kakarroto taunted, curling his fingers around Brocc's fist and squeezing, "it's not my fault I'm a better option. You're just not as strong as I am… nor as handsome, I must say."

"I'll look like a god of beauty compared to you when I'm through with you!" Brocc hissed. "Prepare to have your face beaten in, third-class!"

A to-the-death scuffling was practically assured. There was lightening hissing and cracking between their darkening eyes, metaphorically and literally. But moments like these made Kakarroto's life worth living; they were top notch for him, incomparable in their satisfying mental and physical pleasures, even next to a really, really good meal. The smell of a new battle always made his blood race, and the sight of a new opponent made his heart jump with such force that he could feel it inside of his chest.

Both Sayians flared their Ki, feigning an attempt to impress and intimidate the other, their energy visibly flashing every other moment in vibrant sparks. Light that breathed like a flame eventually encompassed both partners, for their distance was not great, and their passion was. Kakarroto saw an angry, hungry look in Brocc's eyes, and he even saw the Sayian's yellowed teeth grind against each other.

"I'm going to tear you apart, piece by piece, and then serve you on a platter to Sauer," Brocc suddenly whispered. "We'll see if you're half as appetizing then."

"The only thing you've proven to me thus far is that you're capable of trash talk," Kakarroto hissed. "And if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe you challenge me to a test of words. Are you going to beat me up yet, or would you like to clarify the events of this spar to me?"

"KAKARROTO!"

It took the Sayian a few seconds to realize that it wasn't Brocc who'd just hollered his name. Even when this information did process, though, Kakarroto didn't dare turn around for fear of being struck in the back. And from the look that Brocc was giving him, Kakarroto was sure that his opponent wished him nothing less than just that.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The second exclamation confirmed the voice's owner to be none other than Bardock. Kakarroto's previous 'Things Are Only Getting Worse' theory had struck again.

"What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" Kakarroto snapped back, his eyes never trailing from his opponent's. "I'm in the middle of something, old man. Go away."

"Raditz was upset that you'd left! He told me he'd wanted you there more than anyone else! How dare you leave his party like that?!"

"Bardock, if you don't shut up, I'm afraid I'll have to kick your ass as well as this stupid second class's."

Brocc snorted and chuckled. "Hardly," he whispered.

"Kakarroto, don't make me tear you away from there!" Bardock hollered with more energy than the average parental threat would have. "You don't want me to embarrass you in front of this opponent of yours, do you?"

But when Kakarroto remained in his spot, Bardock wouldn't have tried to move his son for anything, even an increase to a first class rank. He knew it would be fruitless to try to move Kakarroto, for the younger's power exceeded his own by far. Bardock could only sit, wait, hope and threaten, until Kakarroto got so sick and tired of his father's voice that he'd consent.

Surprisingly, the next one to suggest a quitting of the fight was not Bardock, but Brocc. The second class relieved himself of his crouched, alert position and stretched his muscles, shaking them lightly to loosen them up. Kakarroto portrayed a harsh look to accompany his questioning grunt.

"Maybe we _should_ cancel," Brocc said slowly with a rigid jaw, his eyes masked from the inside. "But just for the moment. Let's postpone this. Though I hardly cherish the thought of letting you go with your nose still intact, I do respect your father, and your brother much more. It would be my pleasure to honor your brother's wishes."

"Well not mine," Kakarroto whispered, baring his teeth like a wounded animal backed into a corner. "Don't tell me you're wussing out of this fight."

"How very like a third class not to understand things the first time," Brocc began, his eyes flashing, "but I will humor your and be redundant. We're _postponing_. You've got to get back to your brother's party, I've got to make sure my younger brat's really gone back home. We're both busy. Let's set this for a later date."

"Tomorrow."

Brocc laughed outright, confusing Bardock, who's aged hearing wasn't as keen as it used to be, and infuriating Kakarroto. "Eager, are we?"

"To fight a coward? No. To disprove a coward's beliefs? Yes."

A sneer began to bloom on Brocc's face. "Coward, eh? All right then. Tomorrow, when Vegetasei's second sun is as high as it gets. Meet me right here and we'll settle this."

"Oh joy. I'll invite everyone I know."

"My friend, you have just dug your own grave."

"Friend? With a friend like me, you won't be needing an enemy."

"Kakarroto!" Bardock suddenly interrupted, flying as close as he dared. "Hurry up! We need to get back home _now_! I'm wasting my time on you when I could be spending it with Raditz!"

Kakarroto's fists clenched as his muscles seized on themselves. Everything became hazy, blurry, and unfocused: his sight, his thoughts, and his anger. The youth turned his gaze downward and crossed his arms.

"All right, old man!" he yelled at the ground, not too sure he'd be able to wait till tomorrow for the said fight. He was going to need to beat up something soon. "I heard you the first time! I'm coming! Shut up before you ruin my hearing with your annoying voice!"

"See you later," Brocc dismissed with a snide salute, jumping into the air and flying off into the distance. Kakarroto watched him go until he couldn't anymore, and then turned to his impatient father.

"Well it's about _time_! Hurry up! I don't want to waste another minute on you!"

Kakarroto growled, his crossed fists pushing forcefully on his arms till he hurt himself. His head soon trembled with the effort, and finally the younger took off into the abandoned sky without a word, heading back home, back to his unavoidable brother. His father must have been somewhere behind him, but Kakarroto couldn't see for the speed of his flight. He was flying home, full force, the wind howling and hollering and beating on him in an attempt to slow him down.

It was a never-ending cycle. No matter where he went, he was plagued by his family. His father and brother were so much alike in their mannerisms and praising of each other that it made Kakarroto's eyes burn. He wondered if there was anyone else alive that could commiserate with him. He wondered if there was any Sayian that had ever grown up spoiled and conceited, like eldest children do, and then suddenly weren't the oldest anymore, weren't the only child, and weren't the center of attention. The rational side of him said, "Of course. My case isn't _too_ impossible for Sayians, with all the purging of planets we have babies do." But the defensive side, the more _reasonable_ side, said, "Certainly not! No one has ever had a case like mine! They don't have a horrible father like _mine_ and a conceited brother like _mine_. I'm all alone in my case. I'm separated from everyone else."

Kakarroto suddenly yelled out indescribable, shaken up feelings. His sound was lost in the fury of the thunderous wind, so he turned and shot several Ki blasts into the sky, watching them soar into outer space and beyond. He groaned out explosive pain and beat his fist against his brow, his whole form shuddering, even down to the tip of his hairy tail.

It wasn't long before the distance between Kakarroto and his home diminished into nothing, and the Sayian slowly sank to the ground, studying the dark windows and the peeling paint with an ominous, growing feeling of imprisonment. He sighed, surprisingly tired from his overflow of emotions—emotions that he wished he could ban forever. Emotions never did any good; deep thoughts never did any good. He suddenly found himself envying the basic, common beast with ridiculous passion.

Raditz's face darted into one of the dark windows and darted out of it just as quickly. The front door opened, and the elder strutted out with open arms, as if he were master of the house. Kakarroto felt like he were being welcomed like a far away relative, like he didn't even live there anymore.

"Brother! Welcome back! I'm sorry you left!"

"I'm sorry I returned."

Raditz laughed, dropped his arms at his side, and grinned in an almost sadistic way. "Brother, we won't be getting along well at all if you keep up this aura of hostility. Come and open your arms to me!"

"I'd rather open my arms to a horde of starving wolves."

Raditz's face almost began to sour, but something in the sky caught his attention, and a smile claimed his features instead. As Kakarroto suddenly became aware of another's presence, Raditz shouted, "Welcome home father!"

Bardock nodded in return, sinking down to the ground beside his eldest. "Thank you. Glad to be back. Truth be told, when Kakarroto took off like a bullet for home I thought he was trying to ditch me. Good to see I don't have to do any more searching for him, though."

Raditz's eyes shone, and there was such a delightful countenance on his face that Kakarroto wasn't even sure his brother of just seconds before and this man were the same person. Raditz chuckled. "He must have been eager to return home to me, thoughtful thing. Maybe he knew I was missing him… I've got such a great younger brother!"

Bardock scratched the back of his head. "I guess… Oh, Raditz, did the guests leave?"

"I dismissed them while you were away. All but Chi-Chi, that is. She's still inside. I assumed you wouldn't mind her spending the night."

"No! Of course not!" Bardock smiled. "In fact, let her spend as long as she wants here! The rest of her life, if she wishes! You two will undoubtedly become lovers soon, I hope? And give this old man a grandson?"

Raditz laughed softly and hid a smile as he looked at the ground. Kakarroto rolled his eyes, thoroughly not amused, and proceeded to enter the ominous torture trap that had always been his home. The inevitable would always come; Kakarroto knew there was no avoiding it. As he sullenly glanced at the first class female washing the dishes in his kitchen sink, as if it were her own, he resolved his mind.

No conceited brother or obsessed father would stop him from enjoying _his_ life, no matter what perverse or heinous crimes he would have to commit. As far as he was concerned, he was still the eldest, and the eldest son always ruled the house after his father.

Okay, so I freaked myself out with the whole bird thing, but… I feel it a necessary evil, cause it's going to turn into a metaphor later. o.o Wait… did I just give something away? X.X Sigh I'm so stupid…

**P**udgoose


	5. Four

**Disclaimer**:  Nope!

**Author's Notes**:  This chapter isn't really a plot-moving chapter, but it's one—if not THE one—of my favorites.  The entire story has been pretty fast-paced, no?  Well this chapter is a momentary slow-down chapter, meant to play on your emotions more than develop the plot.  Its been a while, but… I really don't think this chapter took that long to write at all, either.  (Maybe cause it was so short.  XP)

**The Brute**

Chapter Four

Kakarroto awoke the next morning to the disgusting, wet feel of saliva trapped between his cheek and the pillow.  He lay quietly for a few moments, his eyes closed in a grimace, dreading the inevitable removing of his head from the fluffy object.  Screwing his courage and taking a deep breath, he pulled away slowly, making a face as he suddenly felt cold air mix with the fluid on his face.

"Ew," he mumbled, rubbing his face clean with the heel of his hand, and in turn rubbing his hand on his bed sheets.  He stood up, his eyes glazed with sleep, and rested a hand on his bedpost to steady himself.

Through the cracks between his door and its frame, Kakarroto was greeted with the first voice of his day.  He would have preferred to wake up to an explosion in bed than that voice.

"Chi-Chi!" his brother called from right outside his door.  "Breakfast is ready, darling!  Father's made a meal for us all!"

Kakarroto didn't have time to express a groan in the solitude of his room.  Not a second after Raditz's voice died away did the bedroom door's handle turn, and the door pull back to reveal the intruder.  The elder greeted Kakarroto with a formal nod.

"Good to see you're awake.  Father's got breakfast ready downstairs."

"I heard you the first time," Kakarroto growled back, rubbing a knuckle in the corners of his eyes.  Raditz chuckled.

"Forgive me.  It's my fault for not thinking first.  Of course I shouldn't have screamed right beside your room, how foolish of me."

Kakarroto grunted and crossed his arms, silently demanding that Raditz leave.  His elder smirked at him and began to close the door, but not without a first, "You might want to change into something other than your undergarments, while you're at it.  It would probably offend Chi-Chi to see you in such… attire."

Kakarroto snarled and kicked at thin air when the door shut, desiring an object much sounder on the end of his violent gesture—more specifically, Raditz's large rear end.  He grumbled and slapped at one of his four bedposts, which snapped immediately and flew out the bedroom window, shattering glass on its way out.  Just for that comment, Kakarroto was highly considering strutting down to the breakfast table nude.  How "offended" would Chi-Chi be then?  But instead he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, listening to the soft footsteps of the female in the next room.

As if Bardock wanted a mental breakdown for his youngest child, he had placed Raditz and his lover in the bedroom next to Kakarroto's.  All night long, Kakarroto had had to listen to the sounds of chitchat, coos, giggles, and even laughter from time to time.  But fortunately, oh so fortunately, he never heard any hints that intercourse was occurring.  For that, Kakarroto could have bowed down and kissed his brother's feet.

Well maybe not _that_, but an expression of gratitude was certainly reasonable.

Raditz looked up from the table when Kakarroto entered.  He smiled.  "Morning.  I was just telling Father how much I appreciate an early riser, such as yourself.  Wasn't I, Father?  Back under Frieza's rule, you had to be up by a certain time every day or you'd be whipped and denied your next five meals."

Bardock nodded as he set down the remaining plates and headed into the storage room to pull out an extra chair.  "Kakarroto," father mumbled formally to son as he brushed by.  The said Sayian rolled his eyes and sat down at the table, reaching for a handful of some unnamed, steaming meat.

"Hey," Raditz barked suddenly, causing the younger to falter and stop.  "Don't you touch a _thing_!  We're waiting to eat until the whole family is at the table."

Kakarroto scoffed and continued to reach out for the dish with an audible, "Make me."

Raditz stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over.  Kakarroto started, looking up at the Sayian that was leaning over the table, and leaning over him.

"If you don't watch it, I will," Raditz whispered, a coal-black look in his eyes.  Kakarroto stood up slowly, his eyes matched with Raditz's the entire time.  "I'm trying to impress my lover, and I'm not going to have you ruin this gift to her just because you won't listen to me."

There was a knock on the door, one that made both Raditz and Kakarroto jump.  For a few seconds neither did anything, but then Bardock's voice echoed from the storage room, "Someone answer that!"

"You heard him," Raditz grunted, shoving his little brother backwards, away from the table.  Kakarroto stumbled for a second and tripped over the chair that was behind him, but regained his balance before he came crashing down on the floor below.  "Go answer the door.  It'll keep you occupied till breakfast."

Kakarroto growled but consented nonetheless, should his stronger brother resort to extreme physical force.  Grumbling under his breath all the while, he took several steps and opened the kitchen door enough to stick his head out.

"What do you want?" he barked, the sound not unlike Raditz's of a second ago.

It was a servant, and from the clothes and seal he wore, he was evidently from the palace.  He bowed low and asked in a meek voice, "Is this Master Raditz's residence?"

"Yes," Kakarroto grunted through his teeth.

"I have a message to deliver to him."

"From who?"

The servant bowed low.  "Forgive me sir, but all remotely personal information is to be given to the recipient."

"That's ok.  I'm his brother, Kakarroto."

Kakarroto watched as skeptical looks began to replace the servant's former ones.  But when the tall Sayian stepped fully outside and closed the door behind him, the previous, nervous look resurfaced.  The servant took a step back and began to tremble.

"I'm sorry sir!" he squeaked, rapidly searching for Kakarroto's seal.  But the attempt was in vain, for the youth had left his seal back on his dresser.  For all the servant knew, and from what he was guessing, Kakarroto was of first class.  "Terribly sorry if I have offended you, sir!  Of course, sir, I'll let you know!  It's from Prince Vegeta!"

Kakarroto extended his hand.  "Let me have it, then.  I'll take it to Raditz."

The servant seemed absolutely terrified, but he still held the letter firmly.  "I'm sorry… but sir, I'd like to give the letter to Raditz personally.  A letter from the prince must have its privacy respected."

"I understand," Kakarroto said, yet his hand stayed its position.  "I would call Raditz out, but he's feeling a bit indisposed at the moment.  He doesn't wish to see anyone this early in the morning."

"Oh," the messenger mumbled, thinking quickly.  He expressed the slightest trace of a shrug and handed the letter to Kakarroto.  "Here sir.  _Please_ make sure it gets to your brother, and no one else."  And without another word said, the servant turned and scrambled into the air, flying back to the palace as fast as he could.

Kakarroto smirked and turned to the letter.  Sure enough, it was sealed with the palace's golden symbol, which glistened in the rays of the rising sun.  The Sayian turned the note over and slowly and carefully managed to open the envelope without tearing it.  He smirked at his own talent, took out the piece of folded paper, and proceeded to read:

_To Raditz of the Super Elite, former accompanier of Prince Vegeta, etc.,_

_From several Super Elites of the palace, North Wing, etc. and ultimately Prince Vegeta,_

_Addressing Raditz,_

_            It has come to my (Prince Vegeta) attention that you are spending time at the accommodation of your relatives, yet have not said for how long.  Should you wish it, permission for further residence is granted for as long as your wish, until otherwise authorized.  Do not respond to my question in letter, for it will take too long.  Instead, I have ordered Nappa to meet with you today in the northern side of South Wing.  Speak with him about your decision.  He will also have a few other things to discuss with you, those of which I wish not to speak of in this letter, so find a private place to conduct your conversation._

_Formally closing,_

**_P_**_rince **V**egeta_

Kakarroto folded the letter back up and slid it into its cozy case, folding the envelope's lip inside.  He scowled enviously, desiring to be the receiver of important messages.  Just reading it, even though Kakarroto knew the letter wasn't for him, made his heart beat faster.  He felt important.  He felt required.  And from the way the letter finished, he felt like a spy, going to receive critical information.

He sighed, however, for his mind rebuked him and told him he was none of these things.  He shouldn't allow his imagination to get a hold of him like that.  He was, and always would be, just another third class Sayian.

He growled and clenched the letter in his hand, careful not to wrinkle it, as he stepped inside.  His eyes widened in shock, and he almost dropped that which he was holding.

There, at the table, was his father, brother, and Chi-Chi, all fighting over the food, like Sayians do at mealtime.  Kakarroto could only blink, his jaw growing limp.  His chair sat, empty, on his normal side of the table.  His family was eating without him, not giving him a second thought, as if his empty seat wasn't even there.  Kakarroto was too numb, too startled to feel anger, but he slowly lifted up the envelope and tore it in half.  Everyone looked up at him.

"What's that you've got there?" Bardock asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.  Kakarroto just stared at them, dumbstruck, and tore the envelope into smaller pieces.  Raditz wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.

"So sorry, brother," Raditz said.  Kakarroto looked at him, and, without taking his eyes off Raditz, tore the scraps of paper in his hand for the third time.  "You were just taking so long out there, we figured you wouldn't mind.  But you may join us now, if you like."

After one last rip, Kakarroto let the multitudes of tiny pieces of paper fall to his feet like snow.  He slowly clenched his fists, the numbness leaving him.  Bardock pointed at the floor.

"What was that?" he repeated.  Kakarroto hardly heard him, though, for he was too fixated on Raditz to notice.  He felt a total rage spreading throughout his body, starting from his head and working its way down.

"I wouldn't eat with _you_, even if I were starving!" Kakarroto shouted, his voice echoing in the small room.  Chi-Chi winced and stuck her fingers in her ears.  Raditz portrayed a look of surprise, but his eyes were glittering.

"I'm—I'm sorry to hear you say that, brother—"

"Don't you '_brother_' me, Raditz.  I've had enough of this '_brother_' shit to last me a lifetime!  As far as I'm concerned, you're just some trash that fell out of the sky and convinced Bardock into letting you stay here!"

Raditz's smile faded, but his anger was concealed.  It was replaced with a look of dead seriousness that coated his face.  "You may insult me, Kakarroto, and I won't report this to the monarchy as an act of contempt for a superior.  I'm greater than that, you see.  I'm your brother—we share the same name, heritage, flesh, blood, and bone whether you like it or not.  But what I will _not_ tolerate is anything said against my Father—"

"—_our_ father—"

"—and should you even try it, I will shut your mouth somehow—whether it be privately or publicly—but I _will_ shut it."

"You're not my brother!" Kakarroto huffed.  He threw his hands into the air.  "Heck, all of my life—_all twenty years of my life_—you didn't even exist!  Am I supposed to believe _now_—now that you've made a _grand_ and _glorious_ entrance into my home—that you're my sibling?"

"Well get this, Kakarroto," Raditz hissed back, glancing first at Bardock, then at Chi-Chi, "up until yesterday, you weren't a part of my life either.  We can either accept that sooner, or accept that later.  Personally, I prefer the former, because I don't want to cause any trouble for my family and friends."  Here he paused and shared a thoughtful look with his father and lover.  Kakarroto was literally trembling from hate, for here his brother was, making _him_ look like the bad guy.  Didn't those fools see behind that mask at all?  "I advise you to do as I have."

Kakarroto then knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he wasn't thinking rationally anymore.  Rage had controlled him, and he felt all-consumed by a blanket of red-hot passion.  "It'll be a cold day in Hell when I follow in _any_ sort of footsteps of yours!"

"Well of course," Chi-Chi snidely decided to add.  "Of course you'll never follow any of his footsteps.  He's four class levels above you.  You couldn't follow him if you tried."

With a deep, angry cry of attack, Kakarroto stepped foreword, gripped the kitchen table with his hands, and flung it at the opposing wall.  As glass shattered and food was tossed in every direction, Raditz side-stepped with speed equal to his brother's, grabbing Kakarroto's shoulders and forcing him against a wall.  Kakarroto bared his teeth, struggled and howled for the heat he longed to release.

"That is it!" Raditz shouted in his face, bracing his hold on his younger brother with the weight of his body.  "You need to calm down!"

Kakarroto told Raditz to do something that made Chi-Chi gasp in horror.

"I can't take this!" she shrieked, heading for the door.  "You may not tell King Vegeta about him, Raditz, but I most certainly will!"

"No!" Raditz called, turning to her.  During this moment of distraction, Kakarroto shoved his elder backwards against the opposite wall and stormed past Chi-Chi to the door.  He opened and shut it with such force that it tore the door out of its frame.  The fallen barricade of wood clunked about the ground, and Kakarroto heard his father say one last remark.

"He's not my son.  I swear, in all my years, I've never had a son like that."

Mud still spongy from yesterday's shower squished underneath Kakarroto's boots as the Sayian pumped his feet as fast as they would go.  Running would burn off more energy than flying, and he'd run around the outskirts of South Wing five times if that's what it took to burn off all his anger.  He just wished his face would stop contorting into painful expressions and that his throat would loosen up a bit.

Because it's hard to run when you can't even gasp for air.

---

Oooo… Cool, huh?  Well, reading back over it, I guess I lied a little at the beginning.  There was a teensy bit of plot development.  Not much, though!  ;;  Hehehe…  What'd you guys think?

Take care,

**P**udgoose


	6. Five

**Disclaimer**: Nothing's mine. Nothing! Nothing, I tell you! Bursts into tears

**Author's Notes**: I wrote part of this chapter almost four months before I wrote the rest. I've got a reasonable fear that Kakarroto might be a little "peculiar-acting" throughout this chapter…

**The Brute**

Chapter Five

Up until noon, Kakarroto spent the rest of his time with his friends and with the ladies of his favorite brothel. There was something about their feminine company that was soothingly reassuring to him, and his "friends" were just as pleasant. They were always ready and waiting to fire compliments left and right, out of fear of him if nothing else. But fear was an okay thing; it gave him a sense of power and of control that Kakarroto flourished in. It made him feel important, in command, and recognized.

It also helped him forget the events of that morning; and he certainly didn't want to think about them at all. They fueled him with such an intensifying anger that he was doubly glad of his fight today; he'd be able to spar without hesitation, be able to kill without second thoughts. He wasn't going to go easy on this Brocc character today; no, unfortunately, Brocc had caught him at a bad time.

So help him, all Hell was going to be unleashed in one simple scuffle.

There was a girl in the bar today that he hadn't ever seen before. She wasn't flocking to him, either, like most women did. Instead, she was sitting by herself in a corner of the bar, her lips sipping at her frosted mug. From time to time, however, he had caught several of her studying glances. He rocked slightly in his seat as some nameless slut ungainly massaged his shoulders, drinking at his beer, and listening to the bartender compliment him over and over again on his latest fight.

"You were brilliant, I swear! That Veet guy didn't even know what he was up against! And he _should_ have known! You're practically legend around here… He should have watched himself! Your punches were awesome, but your kicks seemed even greater than that! I couldn't trace them, they were so fast! They were—"

"What's that girl's name?"

"What?" the bartender bumbled.

"That girl. In the corner."

"The one with the blue hair?"

"Yes. What's her name?"

The bartender frowned in thought, while the whore behind Kakarroto began to massage his neck harder than usual, as if trying to get him to notice her. The only response she got, however, was a small swatting at her hands and an uncomfortable twisting of the third class's neck. The bartender finally answered, slow yet confident in his response.

"I believe that her name is Bulma. She's second-class."

"Oh yea?"

The whore behind Kakarroto began to pout. "You don't really like _her_, do you?" she asked in a childish tone, brushing back several of his bangs. "She's weird looking. Her hair is blue."

"She's more interesting than _you_," Kakarroto growled, "so shut up." He nodded at the bartender, signaling for him to continue. The servant merely shrugged, however.

"I don't know much more about her. She's a bit brainy for a Sayian female… and her parents died early, I think. If I'm correct, the only living blood relative she has is her sister."

"I see… Hmmm. Interesting. How did her parents die?"

"I really don't know; so many people dying around here all the time, it's hard to keep track. They probably killed each other in a disagreement; you know how some mates can get."

Kakarroto chuckled and nodded, tapping his finger on the side of his frosted mug. He glanced at the girl again. "And she has a sister? Well if her sister's half as pretty as she is, they're a pretty flashy pair." He paused, thinking. "And what is her name? The sister, I mean?"

The bartender hesitated, seemingly in thought again. "Um… Chi-Chi, I believe."

There was a pause. Kakarroto stopped, having brought his drink halfway to his mouth, and stared at the bartender with disbelief. The female giving him the massage felt him tense up, and she blinked with confusion. Glancing up at the bartender, she turned back down to the object of her affections.

"Kakarroto, dear, are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

Kakarroto turned his gaze to the liquid in his glass, though it was evident he wasn't watching it. He looked nothing short of being lost in thought as he absentmindedly swirled the foamy drink in its mug. After about a minute of silence, the two companions jumped slightly when his fingers broke through the glass, making for a loud, shattering sound. The female behind him squeaked and grabbed his hand, spreading his fingers out and checking for cuts. The bartender swallowed nervously.

"Can I get you another… Kakarroto, sir?"

Kakarroto took a long breath, eventually letting it out in a sigh, and turned his attention to Bulma. His eyes studied her hard, and underneath those thick, stormy brows, complicated thoughts were evidently brewing. He finally sniffed and stood up, yanking his hand away from the woman behind him.

"What time is it?" he asked the bartender in a loud voice. The man blinked and checked his clock.

"Almost high time. A couple more minutes should do it justice."

The third class Sayian cracked his knuckles loudly several times, simultaneously working the kinks out of his neck. "Well then," he boomed, chest out and nose high, "seems like it's almost time I show that good-for-nothing what's what!"

"Oooo!" the girl at his side admired. "Who's the fight with this time?"

Kakarroto grinned, his eyes twinkling, though he wasn't looking at her. "Some second class loser, I believe. His name starts with a B… Bi or Br something. It doesn't matter, though. He won't be lasting long enough for anyone to use it except on his grave."

Several Sayians had looked up from their drinks and conversations at this loud boasting. They cackled and chortled in their seats. "Look out," one guy in the back barked, "Kakarroto's strutting something bad."

He laughed loudly in response, glancing at the booth in the corner. "You better believe it! Want to come and watch?"

"Of course!" the Sayian replied immediately. Others stood up and followed while several shrugged their shoulders and figured they had nothing better to do. Flashing the crowd a feisty smirk, he turned and led his parade of burly fans out the door.

The sun was high and the weather hot. This heat mixed with the previous day's humidity made for a very sticky feeling, and it made Kakarroto feel like he was swimming through everyone's evaporated perspiration. He made a loud noise and wiped his brow with his arm, taking his shirt off and turning around to throw it to the person nearest him.

"Hold that for me, will you? Don't want it to get in the way while I'm beating the crap out of a certain someone."

The Sayian eagerly nodded, folding the shirt carefully over his arm. Kakarroto took advantage of his turn and checked to see if he'd successfully lured his prey out the door. He cackled delightedly. There was a head of blue sticking defiantly out of the mass of black. Kakarroto turned back around and made a dash for the heart of South Wing, hooting and hollering for his followers to keep up with him.

Sure enough, when Kakarroto skidded to a stop at the destined fighting arena, Brocc was already there waiting for him. Kakarroto held up his arm, abruptly stopping and silencing those behind him. Several Sayians got on tiptoes to see him over the heads of others while some just hovered in the air. Brocc crossed his arms.

"Kept to your word, have you?" Brocc barked. "If I remember correctly, you did say you were going to 'invite everyone you know', yes?"

Kakarroto wiped his brow. The air around him was sweltering. "Of course. I never break a promise."

"Neither do I," the Sayian growled back menacingly. "And I'm going to keep my promise and kill you, in front of all your guests."

A crack of lightening flashed like a whip out from Kakarroto, slicing through the humidity like a knife would through flesh. There was complete silence for almost a minute, in which both Sayians studied the other with keen eyes. Brocc finally began to take his shirt off. Kakarroto's smirk widened.

"Fight," one of the Sayians whispered from the side. "Fight—Fight—Fight—Fight—"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" another joined in. The chant spread contagiously through the crowd like wildfire, and soon everyone was barking out that simple, five-lettered word. Kakarroto's blood began to boil, and the humidity was pressing on him so fiercely that he had to open his mouth to breathe.

Kakarroto saw a trace of blue from the corner of his eye. That Bulma girl had moved to a better location so she'd be able to witness their brawl with more ease. Kakarroto's smirk grew so wide that his cheek was almost blinding his left eye.

This seemed to be the snapping point for Brocc. The Sayian suddenly disappeared and reappeared in front of Kakarroto with incredible speed, sucker-punching his opponent.

There was dead silence in which no one moved, spare Kakarroto, who was regaining his balance. The Sayian stared at Brocc in shock for a few tense seconds. Even Brocc looked surprised at his own daring. Kakarroto licked away the blood that had spilt from his bottom lip.

"Oh yes…" he whispered, smacking his lips once. He then bared his teeth, the blood from his lip having spread through to his eyes. All he saw around him was red, and all he saw before him was Raditz.

Kakarroto took the offensive, and the crowd burst into cheers of wild excitement, morphing the humidity uncomfortably. He punched, kicked, flew backwards, forewords, and even skipped sideways once, making sure his opponent didn't escape his inevitable wrath. This was very unfortunate for Brocc, who, after only a few seconds into the brawl, realized fully just how out-matched he was. He had tried to beat Kakarroto back once, tried to defend himself a couple of times, but a majority of the time was spent trying to somehow escape. He knew it would be shameful. He knew his father would disown him. But he also knew that if he didn't do something soon, he was bound for death.

Brocc suddenly flew backwards from a punch to the gut, and the Sayian let the blow carry him as far as it would, then he gathered his feet, bounced, and tried to turn around and fly into the air. Kakarroto was already there, however; he grabbed Brocc's ankle and swung him around, straight to the ground. Brocc hit it face first, but Kakarroto spared him no second to breathe; he was on top of him in an instant, pummeling the Sayian's bare back with his fists and fingernails.

The crowd was becoming larger and wilder than ever. Two Sayians near the back had gotten into a scuffle just from the excitement of watching Kakarroto and Brocc fight. People from nearby bars, brothels, and homes dashed down the streets to the center of South Wing, encircling Kakarroto and Brocc completely, though making sure to stay their distance.

Kakarroto was in a blind fury. All the anger and hate he had felt yesterday and that morning was pouring out of him into his opponent. He saw Raditz underneath him, no one but Raditz, and his stomach was so tight that he was sure he would vomit. But he had to keep going; he had to punish Raditz somehow.

He grabbed a fistful of black hair—Raditz's black hair—and pulled back. His fist came down to meet Brocc's back higher than he had anticipated—

There was a sickening crack that erupted from somewhere around Brocc's higher anatomy. Everyone silenced, and this seemed to bring Kakarroto back to his senses. He let go of Brocc's hair abruptly, close to being horrified with himself. The head flopped back to the ground with a soft thud, several of the bones of his neck sticking out at odd angles. He lay motionless.

Kakarroto's eyes were wider than they had been in days. His stomach relaxed from its curled state, but now it seemed like it was going to try to swell and explode inside him. The silence was broken again by incredible cheers, but Kakarroto wished they would stop. He felt his head spinning slightly. Normally he was excited by death like this, by blood spilt by his own hand. But not now—not now—and why was that?

"Three cheers for Kakarroto, our own third-class Super Sayian!" the guy holding Kakarroto's shirt shouted. There were three unorganized shouts of congratulation, and Kakarroto numbly carried himself to his feet. He watched the crowd around him, feeling very unattached. It was almost as if he was watching himself from the surrounding crowd, and he saw a scene that was petrifying.

The color blue caught his eye, and he turned to look at Bulma. She had crossed her arms, her blue tail curling about her waist. She was smirking. He accepted her greeting graciously and hurried over to talk to her, some of the feeling in his legs returning back to him. Anything for a distraction.

"And?" he said when he reached her. She quirked an eyebrow at him, her expression wry.

"And what?"

"And what did you think of that performance back there?"

She inhaled deeply, her eyes darting to the inert, bleeding form that was Brocc. "Not bad, not bad…"

"Not bad?" he asked, pulling out his lady-killer grin. He saw a fleet of emotion flash through her eyes, and her cheeks tinged pink.

"All right, you're actually really good. And you're what class?"

"Third."

"NO WAY!" Bulma suddenly shouted, but it was hardly louder than the cheering and hollering that was going on around them. Her arms dropped to her side. "YOU'RE SO KIDDING ME!"

He shook his head. "'Fraid not." He turned, lifted his fingers to his mouth and whistled; the Sayian that had been holding his shirt trotted over.

"Here it is, sir. All nice and clean."

"Good. Now scram."

Kakarroto wiped his brow with his shirt, then grinned wryly at Bulma and tossed it to her. She caught it, her eyes grazing over the front till she caught sight of his third-class seal. She sputtered in shock and looked up at him, her expression one of incredulous disbelief.

"You're—wow, you're—" She bumbled over her words, searching for the right way to describe him. "You're really good for a third-class," she finished lamely.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he purred. He opened his mouth to say more, but someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to glare at whoever had interrupted him, only to meet a chest covered with shining, expensive armor. He craned his neck to look up at a Sayian with a bald head, bushy eyebrows, and a close-shaven mustache. His eyes widened.

"Elite Superior Nappa!" he said, taking a step back and saluting. Nappa nodded, signaling for him to relax. He did, halfway glancing at Bulma. She seemed just as surprised as he.

"Nice battle. You've got an interesting technique to your form."

"Wait—you mean—you were watching us?" Kakarroto whispered, almost breathlessly. Nappa smirked, obviously pleased with all the awe placed upon himself.

"Heard the crowd. Came to see what was up."

"Oh. Right."

"Let's get straight to the point. I was waiting for someone on the far side of town, actually heard the noise from all the way out there, and came to investigate. I didn't really expect to see anything too great, you know, because you really don't see the good fights out in South Wing. But I came anyway, and when I finally reached here, I just lifted myself up in the air and watched. I admit it; I'm kind of impressed with the way you fight, even if you are a…" He glanced at Kakarroto's crumpled shirt in Bulma's arms, and his nose wrinkled. "What class are you again?"

"Third," the Sayian answered back quietly.

His large nose wrinkled even more, making it look like a sort of overgrown raisin. "Yes, even if you are _third_… Well I've been bored lately, and you look like a nice challenge. You and I will spar some time later. What do you say… about four days from now? At about the same time, in King Vegeta's palace? Good, I'm free that day." Nappa paused and looked around. "I'd fight you now, but I'm on some important business for our honorable prince, Vegeta."

Kakarroto's chest swelled, and he glanced at Bulma. She was looking at him through lowered eyelashes and glittering eyes, obviously impressed. The Sayian turned back around and crossed his arms importantly.

"All right. I'll see you then."

"Elite Superior Nappa, good day!" a voice called out, and the Sayian trio turned to see none other than Chi-Chi approaching them. Chi-Chi smiled brightly at Nappa, curtseying for him. "I hope I find you well!"

Nappa surveyed her as if she were dirt. "Who're you?" he grunted.

Chi-Chi blinked politely, her wide smile flickering on her face. "Elite Superior Raditz's betrothed. Ah, yes, we never have been properly introduced, have we? But Raditz talks about you so much at home that I feel like I've known you forever."

Nappa snorted. "That's rich. Raditz, talking about me of his own accord? _Please_." He rolled his eyes. "I know that bumble-head better than that. He'd sooner talk about me than I'd talk about the whore I spanked last night."

Chi-Chi looked slightly uncomfortable, but she laughed good-naturedly nonetheless. She glanced at Kakarroto and her sister. "Ah, I see you've met Raditz's brother, Kakarroto," she quipped sweetly. Nappa's bushy eyebrows jumped.

"That guy's Raditz's brother?" he asked, taking a second look at Kakarroto. "Yea… yea, I guess he is. I see the mild resemblance." He laughed loudly. "Well no wonder you fight well! You must have gotten it from your brother!"

The corner of Kakarroto's mouth twitched. "No, actually, I'm proud to say I've taught myself." He either spoke too quietly or neither Nappa nor Chi-Chi cared, however. They paid his comment no mind.

"What are you doing in a place like this, Nappa?" Chi-Chi continued to ask. Nappa straightened his posture, looking taller than ever.

"Prince Vegeta's orders. I'm actually looking for Raditz. Where is he?"

Chi-Chi gave him a pleasantly puzzled look. "Well you've picked an interesting place to look for him. He wouldn't be here. He's back home with Bardock."

"Back home? But why? Prince Vegeta sent him orders to be here at high time."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. By letter."

Chi-Chi paused. Kakarroto was sure he saw something pass quickly through her eyes when she shot him a look, but she merely frowned at Nappa instead.

"We've gotten no such letter."

"Oh yea?" Nappa grunted, his burrows frowning. "I'll have to remember to kill that messenger. Good-for-nothing piece of… But never mind. Where is Raditz's home?"

Chi-Chi turned and pointed in a westerly direction. "If you fly that way for about five minutes, you'll reach it. It's a rough-looking building. Holes in the sides, the front door has come off—" She shot Kakarroto a sour look "—and the paint's peeling and everything."

Nappa nodded and grunted for the third time, hovering off the ground. "Thank you, betrothed of Raditz." He turned to look at Kakarroto. "And I shall see you four days from now."

Kakarroto bowed. When he straightened himself up again, Nappa had disappeared. He turned and looked at Chi-Chi instead. She was looking haughty, staring in the direction Nappa must have gone.

"What are you doing here?" he barked. Her eyes flashed as she turned her fiery gaze onto him.

"Don't try that shit with me, Kakarroto. Raditz might be more lenient than I am about this stuff, but I refuse to stand it. I am two class levels higher than you, and insult to a superior officer is punishable by death." Her eyes flashed again, but this time a more wicked tone accompanied them. "I won't hesitate to report it to King Vegeta, either."

Kakarroto scoffed and crossed his arms, earning himself an awed look of admiration from Bulma. "I know." Chi-Chi glared at him, but Kakarroto looked to Bulma. "Now if you'll excuse us, I'm in the mood to buy this beautiful lady a drink."

He took Bulma's arm in his own, and, with a grace and poise he had only dreamed himself containing, led her through the crowd of people with a charming smile.

---

Oh I enjoyed that one! Introducing two characters in one chapter… xD. That's some coolness right there! These chapters are so short though… I need to work to make them longer, or something.

So what'd you think?! The plot's really gonna start moving now; only a couple chapters left to go. Bulma's character will develop more as the story goes on, but because Nappa doesn't really have a big part, I tried to cram as much Nappa-ness in there as possible. Hehehe… Nappa's so hilarious. I swear I love that guy. (Another love I've picked up from **Stef-chan**…) But I really hope you guys caught his verbal irony that I worked so hard to include. I'd be so upset if you didn't… Lol, just kidding!

Take care all,

**P**udgoose


	7. Six

**Disclaimer**: I honestly do not own Dragonball Z. I just like playing around with the little characters… Tee hee!

**Author's Notes**: Don't know why I put these here for every chapter… Uh… This chapter was real easy to write, and seemed to stick in my memory well, cause I wrote parts of it while I was at work. Lol… Yea, I was _that_ bored. I was always afraid someone would walk into my office and ask, "Hey, what's a Kakarroto?"

**The Brute**

Chapter Six

"Well, personally Raditz, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I think it's all for the better," Bardock said, smiling. "And she's a good girl, from what I've seen. Plus, if Kakarroto truly settles down with her, it'll only mean more grandchildren for me." He glanced across the table at a blushing Bulma. "Dear, could you please pass the butter?"

She complied, Raditz starting to scowl at his elder. "But Father, don't you think it's a little strange?"

Bardock gave Raditz a hard look, spreading heaping amounts of butter on his bread. It was the first stern one Kakarroto had ever seen him give to Raditz. It put a smile to his lips as he sat at the table next to Bulma, stuffing his face.

"Think _what_ is a little strange, Raditz?"

Raditz shot Chi-Chi and Bulma pointed looks, and then turned back to Bardock, lowering his voice. "I'd rather not say at the table, should I happen to insult someone."

Bardock's brows furrowed. "If this is about Chi-Chi and Bulma being sisters, I'll have none of it. As far as I'm concerned, their being related just happened by chance, and is something they really can't help. Why does it bother you so?"

Kakarroto smirked across the table. "Yes, Raditz, why does it bother you? I met Bulma in the bar three days ago and began to like her even before I knew she was related to Chi-Chi." He shot Bulma a warm smile. "She was beautiful, smart, and charming. I couldn't help but like her. And I don't think it's anything you should be fretting about."

Chi-Chi sat in silence, witnessing the whole conversation. She had been very quiet the past two days and looked paler and grumpier than usual. Presently she wasn't even touching her food, sending sulking looks to Raditz and her sister and small, almost inaudible sighs escaping her lips every five minutes or so.

Raditz was starting to grind his teeth together. "You'll forgive me, brother," he said in a tone of forced calm, the mild wrinkles on his face more pronounced than ever, "but I think it just a little suspicious that you'd give up your womanizing ways the second you meet the _sister_ of my _betrothed_. From what I've gathered, you've always been the kind of Sayian that's fonder towards a one-nighter than formal courtship."

Bardock scowled. "Oh, now Raditz, just relax. I think it's a good change. Kakarroto's starting to pick up some of your good qualities, and I can only hope he'll continue to pick up more."

Kakarroto's eyes darkened, though he forced a smile. "Yes brother, I'm taking after you. Like you said only a couple days ago—" His canines glittered strangely amongst his white teeth "—'I advise you to do as I have.' I'm only following your wishes."

"And since when have you followed _my_ wishes?" Raditz barked furiously, standing up. Bardock stood up right after, putting an arm on Raditz's shoulder, looking flabbergasted at his perfect son's obvious hate. Kakarroto smirked, leaning back in his seat. Bulma put her fork down.

"I'm so sorry for causing so much trouble," she whispered meekly to Bardock, and she truly looked it. "I didn't know I'd be so much of a bother."

Chi-Chi glared at her, but Bulma didn't notice. Bardock waved his free hand. "No, dear, please don't blame yourself. You haven't done a thing. I think Raditz here is just stressed. Elite Superior Nappa was here three days ago, and they discussed something that must be troubling him. He hasn't been his normal self since then."

"That has nothing to do with it!" Raditz protested, turning angrily on his father. Bardock returned the furious gaze, but suddenly, Chi-Chi, who was sitting on Raditz's other side, lifted her hand and touched her fianc's arm. Shocked, Raditz turned and stared down at her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"This is not the time, Raditz," she said. "Not the time, and not the place. We'll talk about it later, ok?"

Raditz calmed down at the sight of her gentle, dark eyes, and he put a hand to her cheek. "Yes, you're right. You're very right, Chi-Chi." He turned to look at Bardock. "I'm sorry, Father. I suppose I am a little… stressed."

Bardock broke into a grin and hugged his son. "Ahhh, that's all right. It's understandable you should act as you did. You're forgiven, now and a thousand times more. I'm sorry for not being as sympathizing as I should be."

Kakarroto rolled his beautiful eyes, turning to look at Bulma. She still looked a little uncomfortable. "I think Bulma and I will go for a stroll," he announced, smiling gently at her when she raised her gaze to his. "It's a pretty day today. Are you full?"

"Yes," she answered, standing up. She looked at Bardock. "Thank you so much for inviting me to lunch, sir. It was wonderful."

"You should thank you sister, there!" Bardock said, gesturing towards Chi-Chi. "After all, she's the one who cooked for us. And a mighty fine cook she is, I must say."

There was a little pause of silence in which Chi-Chi and Bulma merely stared at each other, each wearing expressions no one could decipher. "Yes… well… _thank you_," Bulma concluded, wiping her hands of breadcrumbs. "But we'll be off now, I think. Are you coming, Kakarroto?"

"Right behind you," he said, following her out the newly fixed front door. "Where to, love?"

"You lead the way," she responded, looping her arm with his. He smiled down at her and did just that.

The weather had been dry ever since Kakarroto's fight, and the muddy ground had now dried back into dirt. The air was also dry, but today there was a breeze out, pleasantly brushing Kakarroto's bangs across his forehead. He looked up to the sky and smiled, genuinely happier than he had been in days. Raditz was pissed, Bardock was pleased with him, stories of his fight with Brocc had traveled faster than you can say "Sayian," and he had an attractive second-class attached to his arm. Life was good; so good, in fact, that he didn't bother himself to listen to Bulma, who was babbling to him about something or another.

Three days… three days since his scuffle, and Kakarroto still hadn't been able to figure something out: why had Brocc's death unnerved him so? He couldn't understand what it was that made his stomach churn every time he saw that broken neck in his mind's eye, every time he heard that bone snap. For the first day it had been a constant on his mind, bothering him with worries that he was going soft; now, however, it seemed nothing more than a puzzle his mind floated back to when it was idle. He just couldn't understand it. He was still bloodthirsty—if the anticipation of his up-coming fight with Nappa said anything—but that one memory haunted him and would continue to haunt him till he figured the solution out.

But the most pressing issue now was Nappa. The closest to a super elite Kakarroto had ever fought was a first class, and though Kakarroto beat him, the forgotten Sayian certainly wasn't a pushover. Elite Superior Nappa would definitely be another story. Kakarroto was sure the super elite had tricks up his sleeve he'd only fanaticized about in dreams, and moves, punches, and kicks surpassable only by a Super Sayian. The thought of it all was making him nervous and wonderfully excited.

The mild stress he was having about his battle-to-be, though, was nothing compared to what Raditz seemed to be having. Apart from worrying about Kakarroto and his antics, he had obviously a much more pressing issue on his mind, and could be seen mumbling to himself, staring thoughtfully out the window, and biting his fingernails every spare moment he got. Bardock was pretty sure it had something to do with whatever he and Nappa had discussed three days ago, but no one was certain. Raditz hadn't told anyone the source of his "problem"; not even Chi-Chi.

"Kakarroto!" Bulma suddenly shouted from his side, and he jumped, facing her frown.

"What?" he asked with annoyance. She snorted back and glared.

"I've only been saying your name for the past five minutes," she spat. "I was starting to think you'd died over there. Have you heard a _word_ I've said?"

"Yes," Kakarroto lied. She looked at him skeptically. "And I agree with you," he added.

She rolled her eyes but didn't press the issue, turning to look at the field beyond her. She was silent for a while, and Kakarroto was just thinking it was safe to reside in his thoughts again when she spoke up. "Kakarroto, what did Raditz mean back there by your womanizing ways?"

He frowned. "Well to be honest with you, Bulma—" He paused and looked at her seriously "—And I _always_ want to be honest with you—I never did hold much respect for the opposite sex. Females flung themselves at me, and I wasn't any closer to saying no to them than I am to turning down a sixth helping of dinner." He let this information wash over before adding, "But it's different now. You were a girl I just couldn't let go, and I like it better this way."

"Honestly?" she whispered.

"I just said that I like to be honest with you."

Bulma lowered her eyes and looked at her feet, moving them in time to Kakarroto's step. She suddenly sighed. "I don't know Kakarroto… I feel like I'm stressing your family out, and that's the last thing I want to do."

"It's just because you're Chi-Chi's sister."

Bulma looked up at him, and there was something shrewd in her eyes he didn't like. "Yes, I know," she said softly.

"They'll get over it," he reassured.

"I suppose so…"

Kakarroto watched her every facial movement, hesitating before he spoke. "Anything on your mind, Bulma dearest?"

"Yes," she said, this time watching his face for his reaction; he merely gave her a look of polite encouragement. "But it's nothing you need to be bothered with now, not with your fight with Elite Superior Nappa so close."

"Is it important enough that I even be bothered at _all_?" he asked coolly. Bulma frowned, a strange look passing through her eyes.

"I suppose not. Not unless you truly wish to know."

"And you honestly think that I'm _that_ moved?"

Bulma pulled her arm out of the loop of Kakarroto's and folded it across her chest, looking at the tree they had approached. "No, of course not," she spat bitterly. "How foolish of me…"

Kakarroto smirked and nudged her hard with his elbow. "Just playing," he said in an unconvincing voice, stopping and turning to look at the tree too.

It was the spot that marked the halfway mark between his house and South Wing, the same tree he had encountered twice before. Whether it was because it was lighter outside or because he was in a better mood, Kakarroto didn't know, but the tree looked much less ominous at the moment. Its range of wild, twisted branches didn't look like an impending cage door anymore, but like dozens of hands that were reaching freely to the sky.

"Look," Bulma said softly, taking a step closer and squatting down at the trunk. Kakarroto watched her half-heartedly, only becoming really interested when she moved out of her squat, onto her knees. "Look!" she repeated, and he came over to join her.

Lying on the ground, thin, putrid, its feathers ruffled and its neck broken, was a baby bird. Kakarroto's eyes widened; he didn't know how he knew it, but he was dead sure it was the one he had messed with four days before. Bulma prodded a finger at its stiff body, which moved in a grotesquely unattached way with its head; she wiped her finger on her pants.

"Ewww… lice. Look at them crawl…"

Kakarroto was silent, studying the bird's neck. Now that Bulma had flipped it over, he saw it was broken in the exact same spot he'd broken Brocc's. His palms began to sweat and his stomach squirmed, but he clenched his hands and took a deep, calming breath.

"Poor thing must have fallen out of its nest," Bulma commented. She frowned sympathetically. "I'm sure the mother was terribly upset."

From what Bulma could see out of the corner of her eye, Kakarroto still had his face down, but she didn't know he wasn't looking at the bird. "Maybe she didn't even know it was missing," he said in a flat sort of voice. Bulma looked at him.

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing."

"Of course the mother would have known it was missing," she said, pushing the argument and glancing back at the tiny corpse. "I mean, she _is_ the one that laid the eggs and all. Who knows? Maybe she even knew the exact moment when it died." She shivered uncomfortably. "Some sort of… bizarre mother's intuition, or something."

"Bulma?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Bulma glared at his back as Kakarroto stood up, stretching. "You put _way_ too much thought into the death of little animals. It's such a waste of brain cells."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yea, Mister Know-it-All? And what isn't a waste?"

He then answered with such a conceited tone and smirk that it made Bulma giggle, "Thinking about me."

She shook her head with a smile and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. They then proceeded around the baby bird and its tree, continuing with their walk, yet unable to leave the thought of its death behind.

When Kakarroto and Bulma returned from their day out, most of the lights were already extinguished, spare a solitary candlelight in the kitchen. Kakarroto smiled when he entered, staring happily at the fire and the moths and gnats that danced over it. Bardock. He was sure Bardock was the one that had left it out for him.

Bulma made a motion to pick up the candle, but Kakarroto immediately growled and swatted her hand away. She turned and looked at him, shocked. "What has gotten into you?" she spat.

"It's not for you," he said in a low voice. "It's mine. You don't need it."

She quirked an eyebrow incredulously. "I was just going to take it back to your bedroom… You know, so I don't trip." She gave one harsh laugh. "Sheesh, it's not a crime, is it?"

"You don't need it," he repeated. "Shove off. You know where my room is. I'll be back to join you in a bit."

She slouched off, grumbling about something close to, "If I don't leave first." Kakarroto took no knowledge of it, however, staring into the abyss of the flame and feeling closer to being truly complete than he'd ever felt. The minute warmth of the fire seemed to be draining down his throat and spreading its goodness throughout his body. He sighed in contentment, feeling so peaceful that he didn't even jump when a voice suddenly spoke out of the shadows.

"I was wondering when you'd get back."

"Don't tell me you've honestly been waiting there for me all this time," he said, making a swipe at the flame and almost putting it out in the process. Chi-Chi stepped into the candlelight, and Kakarroto looked up at her. She wasn't nearly as pale as this morning; strangely enough, her face looked much, much darker.

"And if I do tell you?"

"Then I'll respond with, 'You're much, much sadder than I thought.'"

Chi-Chi scoffed, crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. "Well don't flatter yourself. I'm only waiting for Raditz. He left around dusk, and I just want to make sure he gets home all right." She nodded towards the flickering light on the kitchen table. "And Bardock does too, obviously."

Some of the completeness Kakarroto had felt only seconds ago fell off of him as if attached to 10-ton weights. He scowled heavily, hatred coursing through him. "Get away from me," he whispered.

She shrugged. "Don't think so. This is as much your house as it is mine."

He laughed coldly. "Baby, you're not even Raditz's mate yet. You're only his, '_betrothed_', as he calls it."

She smirked. "And if I remember correctly, only three days ago you weren't even a part of the family."

The memory of breakfast swarmed through Kakarroto's mind like a horde of angry bees, and he clenched his shaking fists to keep himself from punching a hole through the glare of her smirk. He suppressed a shudder of angry emotion, glaring at her with such a level of passion that her smirk started to fade.

"_Why_?" Kakarroto hissed through clenched teeth. Chi-Chi gave him a studying look.

"Why what?"

He said nothing, but reached out for the candle, grabbed it, and extinguished the flame with his other hand. The pair was cast into complete darkness. Even the stars outside seemed to have gone out.

Chi-Chi grunted a noise of impatience and blindly reached for the candle. She only managed to brush his arm in the darkness, however, and the hairs on the back of Kakarroto's neck stood up in the momentary thrill of touch. He grabbed her wrist and jerked her to him so abruptly that she trod on his foot and fell against his chest.

He braced himself for a tirade of insults, accusations, and threats; he tightened his grip on her wrist, too, should she try to pull back. Instead, however, he was greeted with still silence—

And one almost inaudible sob.

However, when she spoke next, her voice was steady and somber. "I should be asking you that very question," she said quietly.

Kakarroto frowned. "What question?"

"Why?" she said, her tone suddenly cold and angry.

He sneered and let go of her wrist, but she didn't pull back from him. "Why what?" he mocked.

"You're using Bulma," she suddenly said, "to make me jealous. You're using her. I know it. Well, it's not working."

"Now look who's flattering herself, you conceited rascal. Jumping to conclusions so quickly… You must think you're something special—something close to your _sister_—to assume that I'm lusting after you."

"I said nothing of the sort," she denied, frowning. "_You're_ the one mentioning all this lust business. _I_ just think you're trying to split Raditz and me up."

There was a pause. Kakarroto took a long, deep breath. "And it's working, isn't it?"

"No!" Chi-Chi almost shrieked, and Kakarroto lifted his hand to cover her mouth, accidentally jabbing her eye in the process. He felt his hand being forcefully yanked away not a second later. "No!" she repeated in a whisper. "I just told you it's not! It's not! It is _not_!"

They stood in silence for several moments longer, listening to Bardock's deep, even snores coming through the walls. Chi-Chi pulled the candle out of Kakarroto's hand, lit it with a small Ki ball, and handed it back to him. Her face was ghastly in the flickering candlelight.

"You look almost as bad as Raditz," Kakarroto murmured. "Has he told you Elite Superior Nappa's news, then?"

"No," she whispered, looking suddenly very tired. "No, he hasn't. Private matters, I understand." Kakarroto studied her face, Chi-Chi watching him apprehensively. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but she suddenly continued, "You should go. I'm sure Bulma's waiting; plus, you've got to get all the energy you can for tomorrow's match."

Kakarroto hesitated before turning to leave. "Will you come and watch?" he asked. She looked away.

"I might… Go to sleep, Kakarroto."

Feeling like she had a good point, and feeling like he had no more reason to stay, Kakarroto quit the room, candle in hand. His entire mind and body felt like it had trained rigorously all day, and as he passed Raditz's and Chi-Chi's bedroom heading to his own, he vaguely realized that those were Raditz's snores that greeted his tired ears.

---

And that's a wrap…

**P**udgoose


	8. Seven

**Disclaimer**:  If _I_ owned Dragonball Z… Hmmm… I'd probably do what Akira Toriyama did: go insane, find a deserted island and lock myself up in a cage on it.  x.o

**Author's Notes**:  This one may be a little off because it took so long to complete.  All in all, I'm sure this chapter took me about 3 months to do.  Why?  It was mostly because at about 75% of the way through, I got a writer's block.  Then after that, I started school and didn't have hardly any time.  Then after that, I kinda lost interest in DBZ.  So… how did I ever finish it?  o.o;;  Quite frankly, I don't know.  BUT I DID!  And that's all that matters!  .

ALSO thanks to **Rune** and **Random**.  I really appreciate you're input.  :D  You guys make it all worthwhile.

**The Brute**

Chapter Seven

Kakarroto woke up just when the sun had started to rise and a pale blue light was cast over everything.  He crawled out of bed, his body in a sort of constant set of shivers from the crisp morning cold and from nerves.  Though his body demanded it, he couldn't—and didn't even want to—fall back asleep.  Even though he yawned three times as much as usual, his eyelids didn't feel heavy, and even though his brain felt fogged up, it was still clear enough to remind him constantly: _just a couple more hours… only a few more…_

He tiptoed around the house, nervous and never ceasing, like a lost mouse trying to find its way back to its hole.  He paced softly across the kitchen, his mind numbly trying to think of anything but Nappa; he paused from time to time to open the kitchen door and stand in the doorway, but after a few minutes of waiting for the sun to rise, he retired to pacing the floor again.

Kakarroto looked up when he heard footsteps coming down the hall and was met with Raditz's face.  When both saw each other, they paused, and there were several moments of tense silence.  Raditz finally looked away and headed towards the cabinets, scavenging for food.

"What are you doing up?" Kakarroto asked.  Raditz didn't look at him.

"To eat what I can before your ridiculous appetite gets it all."

"Oh _please_ now, don't try to greet me with a smile," Kakarroto spat sarcastically.  "The effort may just kill you, and I surely wouldn't want _that_ death on my conscience."

Raditz said nothing, but he opened another cabinet door.  Kakarroto went back to pacing.  A minute or two went by before he stopped and opened the front door; there it finally was: the tip of the sunrise: large, grand, orange and beautiful.

There was a sudden chomping in his ear.  Kakarroto turned around to see Raditz devouring some stale piece of bread, looking across Kakarroto's shoulder to the sky beyond.  "Breath-taking, isn't it?"

Kakarroto turned back around and scowled at the sun, giving it a very scrutinizing glare.

"You _would_ think that."

"As would Bardock," Raditz said.  Kakarroto stiffened.

"So you're saying I'm not like my father?"

"What gives you that impression?  I'm merely saying that you're less like him than I am," he commented lightly.  The younger turned to face his older sibling, grabbing the doorknob and deftly shutting the door behind him.  Raditz swallowed, smirking derisively.  "You don't share much in common with him, do you?"

"And you share _everything_ in common with him, don't you?" Kakarroto sneered.  He plucked the last bit of Raditz's snack out of his hand and shoved it in his mouth.  Raditz snorted and leaned against the door while Kakarroto moved to the sink to fill up a glass of water.

"Compared to you, it certainly seems so."

Kakarroto gulped several large mouthfuls of water, downing his glass in mere seconds.  He had to admit it: with Raditz here now to occupy his mind and direct his trail of thought off of Nappa, he was a lot less nervous.  He just couldn't decide if he preferred the anxiety to this growing irritation.

"You ever wonder why Father had this house built out West?" Raditz suddenly asked.  "And why he had the door facing East, towards the sunrise?"

No, Kakarroto admitted.  He hadn't ever wondered that.  The fact hadn't ever really occurred to him before.  And if it had, he would have just dismissed it as coincidence.

"No," he answered blankly, not willing to go so far as to humor his elder by asking why.  He was sure Raditz was going to go on about more "I-know-more-than-you-do-about-our-father" stuff.  And sure enough, almost immediately—

"Huh.  I was almost certain Father would have told you."  He laughed quietly.  "I mean, he told _me_, even before I was sent off to Frieza."

"Guess he didn't think I'd be interested," Kakarroto replied, his words slow and pointed.  Raditz pretended not to notice.

"Father moved out here after Mother died."  Raditz paused, staring at Kakarroto.  "Certainly you know _that_ much?"

"Of course," Kakarroto hissed.  "I'm not an idiot, you know."

Raditz let out a bark of a laugh, then another, and then an entire set of harsh laughs.  Kakarroto's countenance spoiled.  But cutting him off before his younger brother could snap back, Raditz continued, "Father met Mother out West here, did you know that?  Not in this exact spot, mind you, but Mother had challenged Father to a spar, and they fought in a blank stretch of land out here.  It was a tough battle, believe it or not," Raditz said fondly, chuckling and shaking his head as if this memory were actually his own, "but Father eventually won.  Father said afterwards he was drawn to her for some reason, and she to him, so they coupled and had me not long after."

"As touching as this story _certainly_ is," Kakarroto drawled, "_please_ shut up before you talk my ears off."

"Mother died several years later, a little while after she had you, I believe.  Got into a fight with some woman over a huge amount of meat, or something of the sort.  Well of course she was still weak from giving birth to you, and this female was an entire class higher than she was.  Unquestionably, she lost."

"I know how she died, Raditz, thanks," Kakarroto tried to cut him off.

"Father was so grieved that he moved out West, as if to try to get closer to her.  Strangely touching?  He made sure the front door would face the rising sun, because to him it represents life, new beginnings, all good things, et cetra.  It gave him hope to be greeted with bright sunlight each new day.  It gave him a fresh reason to live."  A pause.  "He's always told me that Mother used to like the sunrise…"

And as Raditz quieted, Kakarroto opened his mouth; he merely stared at his older brother, however, not sure what to say.  He wasn't even sure of what to think.  So did this make his father a weakling, to be so perturbed and depressed by just a single death?  Was his father even less of a Sayian than Kakarroto had already envisioned in his mind?

But wait… a fresh reason to live…

"I was enough of a reason for him to live, Raditz," Kakarroto hissed slowly, his words horribly poisonous.  He clenched his fists almost involuntarily.  Raditz shrugged, expressing a small, honey-coated smile.

"Well obviously not.  I mean, _I_ don't see you as reason enough to live."  He slowly smirked.  "So it seems there's another thing Father and I have in common…"

Kakarroto didn't think next as he flung himself at his brother, shouting cries of, "_I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!_" over and over again.  The kitchen table toppled over with a clatter as Raditz's foot accidentally kicked it; the two wrestled unceremoniously on the cold kitchen floor, Raditz's grunts, clatters and bangs mixed in with Kakarroto's hysterical threats; by the time Bardock, Bulma and Chi-Chi finally woke up and bustled into the kitchen, still in their night things, Kakarroto had picked Raditz up and was ramming his head into the kitchen door, shattering the wood.

"GOOD HEAVENS, KAKARROTO, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Bardock exclaimed, hurrying forward.  But Kakarroto turned around and punched him squarely in the jaw, sending his father flying backwards over the upturned table and into the opposite wall.  Bulma screamed in a queer mix of horror and delight, watching Kakarroto turn around to Raditz just in time to catch a punch aimed at his gut.  Chi-Chi padded lightly over to Bardock, crouching down and helping the elderly man up.

"_I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!_" Kakarroto shouted again, successfully landing a kick to Raditz's left side and sending him flying out the house towards the sunrise, Kakarroto in hot pursuit.

"Ra—Raditz," Bardock mumbled absentmindedly, his large eyes bulging in panic.  "Where's—what's going—what's happening to Raditz?"

He tried to sit up, but Chi-Chi held him down.  He tried again and failed.  He attempted a third go, but Chi-Chi shoved his shoulders down, grabbed his face with her hands, and turned him to face her.  She wasn't smiling.

"Sit still, Bardock!  You're being ridiculous!  What do you honestly expect to do if I let you up?  Kakarroto's much stronger than you are!"

"Where's Raditz?" he asked, trying to look out of the corners of his eyes.  Chi-Chi slapped his face lightly.

"_Answer me!  What could you do?!  Nothing!_"

Bardock mouthed wordlessly for a few seconds, his expression clearly showing his extreme panic.  Chi-Chi took a deep breath and reassured Bardock's biggest fear.  "Don't worry.  Raditz is a super elite, and Kakarroto's only a third class.  You know he won't be able to do Raditz any serious harm!  If he could, I would be just as worried as you right now!"

Bulma took a few steps towards the exit, stepping over shards of wood and standing in the bare doorframe.  She smiled quietly to herself, her stomach squirming delightedly as she watched Kakarroto and Raditz battle outside.  The sight was so incredible that she actually started to laugh for joy.  Her third class lover was battling her arrogant sister's super elite betrothed—and he was doing fantastic!  Not only that, but if she wasn't mistaken…

"He's winning," she whispered to herself.  Chi-Chi's head shot up, staring at the back of her younger sister.

"What did you say?" Chi-Chi demanded, eyes wide and furious.  Bulma turned around, her expression one of mild surprise.  She grinned.

"Kakarroto is winning!" she said.  "Can you believe it?  I thought they were equally matched, but if you look closely, you'll see he's gaining the upper hand!"

The pair on the floor stared at her in disbelief.  Then, after few pregnant moments of silence, Bardock started to struggle and said, "Let me up then!  I've got to help him!"  Chi-Chi was up on her feet faster than her elder, however, and she shot past Bulma out the door; Bulma noted the look of panic on Chi-Chi's face and laughed.

Kakarroto's rage was blind and unconditional.  Not only that, but the anger in it wasn't restricting him to clumsiness either, as Raditz soon found out; both were equal of skill and talent.  Raditz took the defensive after a few fruitless attempts to hit Kakarroto, completely baffled; how could his brother have gotten so strong, and in such a short amount of time?  It was only three days ago at breakfast that he was restraining his brother easily.  Just _how_ could Kakarroto have gotten _this_ strong?  It wasn't heard of—wasn't possible!

He caught Kakarroto's knee with his palm, and connected his forehead with his brother's, hurting them both.  In this momentary pain, Raditz escaped from Kakarroto's grasp and shot a Ki beam up at his brother, the beam of energy exploding on contact; Kakarroto emerged from the cloud of dust several seconds later, however, completely unscathed; he lunged for his brother, screaming his deadly, "_I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!_" again.

"STOP IT!" Kakarroto heard Chi-Chi shout in his ear, and a second later he felt something very solid and heavy collide with his right temple.  He zoomed down to the soil below, unable to stop himself.

Dust was flying up everywhere, flooding Kakarroto's nose, mouth and ears.  He coughed and hacked ungainly for several seconds, only half listening to the shouting match going on above him.

"And just what the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving your butt, that's what!  And don't yell at me!"

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!  HE'S ONLY MY _THIRD CLASS_ BROTHER!"

"But you were—"

"HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE?  THIS WAS _MY_ BATTLE, AND I DON'T NEED A WOMAN FIGHTING IT FOR ME!"

"I WOULDN'T BE SO SURE ABOUT THAT!  YOU DIDN'T SEEM TO BE DOING TOO WELL A WHILE AGO!  BULMA SAID YOU WERE LOSING!"

"**_I WASN'T LOSING!_**"

Kakarroto waved the dust away from his face and peered up at the sky.  He didn't have long to look, however, for two figures collided onto him like missiles, pinning him down.  Now that the shock of being hit was over, his anger was swarming up in him again, and he howled and cursed and struggled against their hold; but Raditz and Chi-Chi's combined efforts were enough to keep him down.

"Kakarroto, calm down!" Chi-Chi commanded, no trace of pity in her voice.  She sounded like she'd rip his arms off if he dared defy her.  He stopped his struggling and glared up at her, eerily silent.  She swallowed; she didn't like the way his entire body was still awfully tense under her hand, much like a coiled snake ready to strike.

"You wipe that look off your face, or I'll wipe it off for you," Raditz growled.  Kakarroto continued to glare at Chi-Chi defiantly, almost as if he was determined not to look at his brother, but now he was baring his teeth.  Chi-Chi blinked.  He looked so much like a cornered beast, trapped under them like he was.

"Get off me," he suddenly said, his voice soft.

Raditz did the exact opposite, clenching Kakarroto's arm so hard that his fingernails dug under his brother's skin.  Younger and older brother's glares finally met, and they shot each other such looks of absolute loathing that Chi-Chi got goosebumps.  She shook herself uncomfortably, her tail bristling behind her.  She looked up at the approaching footsteps.

Bulma and Bardock soon joined the group that hovered over Kakarroto.  Bardock's eyes were fiery, and he looked about two thoughts away from disowning his youngest son.  Bulma, however, was caught between admiration for her lover and hatred for her sister, a sea of emotion welling up inside her.

"So…" Bardock said softly, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Raditz let out a small snort, turned his gaze from his brother to Bardock and then back to Kakarroto.  He gave the younger a hard shove against the ground and finally let go, rising to his feet.  Kakarroto shoved Chi-Chi off of him and sat up, dusting himself off with a disgruntled sneer.

"So," Bardock repeated.  Kakarroto didn't give him the satisfaction of meeting his gaze; instead, he stood up and brushed his backside and the back of his shirt off.

"Kakarroto!" barked Bardock, grabbing the front of his son's shirt and jerking him forward, forcing son to meet his father's eyes.  Chi-Chi held her breath.  Kakarroto slowly reached up and placed his hand on top of his father's, his gaze venomous.  He took a deep breath and made a point to exhale on his father's face.

"You will let me go," he whispered, "and you will let me go _now_."

Raditz growled and took a step foreword, but Bardock reached behind and caught his oldest child in the gut, shoving him backwards.  He glared back at his youngest son.

"I don't believe I will _ever_ understand you, Kakarroto.  You are honestly the moodiest, most ridiculous, most fortune-seeking and immature Sayian I have ever come across.  Not only that, but you're _my_ son to boot.  You represent me!  Where is your sense of responsibility and pride, son?  Where is your sense of honor?  You've heard me preach of these things enough to be able to write a book on them!  I know you have!  You are more disappointing that I could have ever imagined, what with your disrespect to those of a higher class, your womanizing, and your apathy and disregard towards me.  You think that I have absolutely _no_ control over you son, when in fact I do!  You think that NO one on this wide planet has control over you!  I had always hoped you'd get better with time, maybe even with Raditz back to look up to, but I guess I was proved wrong.  When it comes to you, I've _always_ been proven wrong.  Your disregard _astounds_ me; even now I'm sure you don't give a flip about what I'm saying.  And you know, sometimes I honestly wish I only had one child for all the trouble you cause.  I'm just—just very glad your mother didn't have to see you turn out this way.  She wouldn't have been able to bear it."

Silence.

There was nothing but silence.

Everyone held their breath, watching a certain, solitary someone.

Bulma swallowed.  "Maybe… maybe I should go…" she said in a very small voice.  No one heard her.

Kakarroto held his breath without realizing it.  He felt like his knees were trembling, but they weren't, and he felt like his heart had stopped, but it hadn't.  The amount of information his father had just force-fed him was far too great, so the words Bardock had just spoken were being vomited back out and digested again by Kakarroto's mind in much smaller quantities.

Raditz's eyes darted to his father, and he took a deep breath.  Bardock looked exactly like a man who had had to shoot a pet he'd loved for many years just because it had shown signs of rabies.  Raditz swallowed hard and turned back to his younger brother.

Kakarroto blinked, his eyes widening and condensing repeatedly.  Finally, after the fourth reiteration of this, his eyes froze in that wide state, and he stared at Bardock as if he were a once-blind man suddenly able to see the horrors of the world.  He looked down and raised his hand to his lip, feeling it gently.

"I… I'm bleeding," he said.

Bardock let out a shuddering breath, trying to regain his strict composure amongst steadily growing pity for his son.  He opened his mouth to say something, but Kakarroto quickly trotted around them all and back inside the house, never looking up.

Kakarroto wished he hadn't destroyed kitchen door's replacement with Raditz's head, because he desperately wanted to lock the world out of his house.  He paced aimlessly around the kitchen for a moment or two, never taking notice when he would accidentally trip on the upturned table.  While turning around to walk in the other direction, he suddenly got a blast of deja vu.

Panic seized him.  The world was suddenly upon him.  He let out an uncontrollable groan of terror, his eyes darting in all directions around the kitchen till he spotted the hallway.  He made a mad dash for his bedroom, turning corners so sharply he almost did a 180.

He locked this door behind him, but that brought no comfort.  He folded his arms over his abdomen and crouched over, groaning fearfully again.  His mind was racing for some protection—for something solid to cling onto.

So that was what his father thought of him?  Why?  What did he do wrong?  What _did_ he do wrong?

Bardock's words flashed through his memory again—a complete explanation of what he did wrong.  But, Kakarroto thought, taking a shuddering breath and sinking to his knees, that was his entire life.  The entire way he lived his life.

_…So does Bardock not want me to live?_

These words echoed in his mind, battling for predominance against Bardock's speech.  Kakarroto fought back tears unsuccessfully, feeling exhausted.  He felt like he'd been riding the same path of an endless cycle over, and over, and over again.  Nothing he was doing was ending up right; nothing was pleasing to Bardock, because, Heaven help him, Bardock had _Raditz_ to please him.

So he wasn't any use to his father?  Fine then.  He could be plenty use to himself.

Kakarroto shakily gathered his feet, rubbing his eyes.  What was he doing?  Sayians didn't cry.  Of what use to him were his tears?  Nothing.  They were only there to please Bardock's sadistic three-ring circus of a home—of a life.

His ears picked up the sound of footsteps quickly stumbling down the hallway.  He heard them stop at his door, and in the next instant Bulma spoke up.  "Kakarroto?" she whispered through the door he'd once believed would keep the world out.  "Kakarroto, are you okay?"

He wiped his nose with his fist, still moist from Raditz's blood.  Oh yes, he was fine all right, he thought with a sigh.  He was plenty fine.  He took a deep breath, crossed the room and opened the door.

Bulma's baby blue eyes—so very rare on a planet so red—stared up at him uneasily.  He saw everything in her eyes, unguarded and unchecked by her.  She was afraid, and she was worried.  She was startled, and she was aching from a rare, for Sayians, urge to alleviate his torment.  She was in awe, and by the stars in the universe beyond, she was _beautiful_.

"You okay?" she mouthed again, her voice escaping her.  Kakarroto raised a hand to her face and touched her cheek gently.  She never flinched.

"My dear Bulma," he began, "would you do me the honor of attending my battle with Elite Superior Nappa?"

"Well I—are you—certainly.  Of course, I wouldn't think of doing anything otherwise.  It'd be my pleasure."

"I know," he chuckled, moving his hand from her cheek to her shoulder and patting it.  Her laugh was careworn and short-lived.  His fight was only a couple hours away, after all.  A good, large breakfast and some calming meditation would fill up that time.  And fill it up it certainly did; it was time.  High noon had at last come.

---

What'll happen in the big fight?  That's next chapter…

**P**udgoose


	9. Eight

**Disclaimer**: SSDC: Same , different chapter.

**Author's Notes**: This one took me a while just cause… it did. I had a difficult time describing the palace's exterior… so that's why the description might be a little… um… wanting, lol. The fight scene, surprisingly, was the easiest to write. I had a blast picturing it all in my mind beforehand. IT'S THE SAYIAN IN ME! HUAAAAAAA!!!!!

MUCHO thank-os to all my reviewers! I looked at the number a couple days ago and thought, "Wow! I've actually got more than one person's opinion this time!" Ahhh, how the mighty have fallen… I remember them good ol' days… ;) But nevertheless, thank you all VERY much! I feel honored to have your feedback (especially 'cause it's all positive), and I really hope you like the last couple chapters as much as I do! :D Here you are!

OH! And one more thing. It occurred to me when I was reading my reviews that some of you all may not have seen my notice of posting chapters every Sunday. I don't remember if I put a note in my chapters or just in my profile… But anyway, for those of you who did not see, **I do** **update every** **Sunday** (or try to. I seem to… uh… forget a lot. Ehehehe… Bad quality of mine: poor short-term memory. X.X). I've already finished the story, so there's no question about updates because of writer's block… It all depends on if I remember it or not!

o.o; Oh dear… You all have a better chance with the writer's block…

**The Brute**

Chapter Eight

Kakarroto wasn't surprised that his family decided to come along to watch, even after his scrabble with Raditz. In fact, he had predicted that they would. Why pass up this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the palace grounds? But he just wasn't in the mindset—nor in the mood at the time, to be honest—to be pleased by their attention. Now they were only a nuisance, like three extra shadows. The only person he cared to have by his side was Bulma. Without her, he was sure the time spent with his family would have been unbearable.

Kakarroto had never personally seen the palace. Even though he was present at Prince Vegeta's "welcome-home" party, it was merely an extension of the real palace: the grand and mysterious building on the most northern tip of Vegetasei. This place, Kakarroto quickly found out, was far grander than he had imagined. At least thirteen stories high, it glowed mysteriously, perhaps from the sunlight above. Barricading its beauty was a bronze stone wall, easily taller than the tallest of Sayians. The palace gates were red, as deep a red as Vegetasei's soil, and solid, forbidding anyone from trespassing. Literally hundreds of guards had to be circling the palace, on patrol, crisscrossing paths every now and then. All of them, spare two, were covering the sky and keeping anyone from flying inside the palace's grounds. The two extra guards were stationed at the gate, as still as statues and threatening.

Upon their arrival, the two gate guards greeted Kakarroto from the end of their outstretched arms and flat palms. However, quickly explaining himself and his company was more than enough for them, for it seemed that word of his and Elite Superior Nappa's fight had traveled all over the palace and was highly anticipated. The gate guards guided him and his party inside towards the West End of the grounds where an elaborate battlefield was set. It was beautiful and much unlike anything Kakarroto and most of his party had ever seen. The only one who seemed to have already seen the arena was, understandably, Raditz, and he, instead, humored himself by conversing with one of the guards, apparently an acquaintance of his.

Kakarroto tried to entertain his brain with the magnificent scenery around him, but he couldn't help but be captivated in curiosity by Raditz and the guard's conversation, for they were speaking in very low whispers. Kakarroto spotted something to his right and, pretending to be very interested in it, moved more in that direction so as to be closer to his brother and friend.

"No, I haven't heard anything," the second Sayian was saying. Raditz glanced around him (Kakarroto looked away sharply, pretending to listen to Chi-Chi and Bardock) and then continued to press on.

"Well, has anyone been offered to him since Nappa told me about it?"

"There've been a couple suggestions, but Prince Vegeta keeps rejecting them all. I myself even had the privilege of suggesting someone I knew. But the fact remains that Prince Vegeta's not even _looking_ for someone, you know? The only reason he's doing this is because his father's making him. Or at least that's what I think; it seems pretty obvious…"

"Yet even now he wants to keep it hushed up from the public."

"Yes."

"Why, do you think?"

"Power. He doesn't need anyone taking half the authority he has, half the power of his throne. I mean, who would want that when you could have _supreme_ rule?"

"I suppose…"

There was a pause, and Kakarroto, who had been gazing at the arena's architectural design, turned sharply towards Raditz and his friend in case he was missing anything. The gate guard looked up.

"What do you mean? You disagree?"

"Well… Well, yes, I do, but that's not what I was talking about. I meant why is Prince Vegeta keeping this hushed up, and… well—you just don't know Prince Vegeta like I do. Frieza's changed him, certainly, and he wants everyone to believe it's for the better." Raditz sighed. "But… he's not what he wants everyone to believe. He's not nearly as cold-hearted and self-centered as he'd like to make us believe. He was born a prince; looking after others—particularly his subjects—is like instinct to him. He's… well, let's just say he might be doing it for the well-being of others."

"Others? Wait… you mean like…"

"Like the girls," Raditz spat impatiently. "I mean, if he should couple as soon as he gets back on Vegetasei, she may very well be in danger. Frieza may have let Vegeta go home, but I'm sure he's not done toying with him, and the prince knows that. Frieza could use Vegeta's mate against him. And if he's not doing it for the female's safety, he's probably doing it for his own."

Kakarroto tried to listen more, but the other guard shoved him from behind. Kakarroto turned and glared at him. "Did you just touch me?" he said.

"And if I did? Shut up and move along, we've got to get you on the arena's stage. The battle's only in a couple minutes."

Bulma looked around and smiled as Kakarroto rejoined her side. "Is this going to be a public fight?" she asked him.

"Not exactly," the guard jumped to answer. "All members of the palace are invited, except the slaves and servants. But everyone first class and down is excluded. It won't be that big of a crowd."

"Wow," Bulma mumbled. Kakarroto looked at her and noted the look of pride in her eyes: pride for him and for herself in being able to witness such an event.

After hearing this, Kakarroto wasn't so sure about the number of people he expected to see. But, it turned out, there were a lot more palace-worthy Sayians than Kakarroto had once believed. Kakarroto had never really pictured many more individuals other than King Vegeta, his son, and a couple guards, but sitting in stands piled high before him were at least 400 Sayians, all well-dressed and well-groomed. It was all he could do to keep from dropping his mouth as he stopped at the edge of the stone arena. Now that he had arrived and people were starting to notice him, a hush went over the crowd. Yet just as quickly afterward, a body of whispers sprang to life.

"Good luck Kakarroto," Bulma whispered in his ear, her whisper somehow quieter than all of those around her. She kissed his cheek and squeezed his hand, then allowed herself to be directed away from him with the rest of the group. He suddenly felt very alone with only a guard beside him. His gut felt leaden and cold and his knees were failing him; performing in front of such important members of the Sayian population? What did he think he was doing? Was it too late to back out now?

"Bow!" the guard hissed in his ear, elbowing him sharply. Kakarroto looked at him and followed the guard's finger to the person it was pointing at: King Vegeta was directly ahead, in the center of the stands. He had scooted in front of his seat and was now standing, waiting for his deserved, respective silence. Prince Vegeta was sitting down comfortably on his right. In all his worry, Kakarroto—nor the rest of the Sayian body in the stands—had noticed. He abruptly bent over at the waist. He heard the crowd quickly go silent.

Kakarroto straightened up as the crowd came to life again, his movements jerky. He reminded his mind to get a grip on itself. If he continued to be this nervous, he was bound to screw up somewhere while fighting. He forced his muscles to relax and took deep, steady, soothing breaths. He was almost to the point of being able to block out the audience's commotion around him when everything quickly became hushed. There wasn't a sound in the large arena. Startled, he looked up to see King Vegeta's hand raised, issuing a commanding silence over everyone. It was so silent that he could have probably whispered, and everyone, with his or her acute Sayian hearing, could have heard it.

"Fellow Sayian brethren, I welcome you!" King Vegeta boomed, motioning to the crowd surrounding him. "And to our lower-classed guests, another welcome." If Kakarroto had expected the audience knew King Vegeta was talking about Bulma, Bardock and Chi-Chi, he was greatly mistaken. He felt another wave of muscle-seizing fear as every head turned their burning stare to him. "As you all know, we are here to witness a Super Elite's battle. As is custom, I will now present the challenged: Kakarroto, son of Bardock, born to the rank of the third-class. And the challenger: Nappa the IV, son of Nappa the III, born to the rank of the super elites."

The entire audience burst into laughter, and Kakarroto didn't need the chortling guard's elbow in his side to realize what they were laughing at. He screwed his face up in anger. No, not anger, he told himself. Anger never helped anyone in battle. He would concentrate on taking graceful revenge instead of rage-blinding anger. If he could silence every single person in the stands, mouth by mouth, he would, but instead he'd prove them all wrong with one battle.

It occurred to him then that he was carrying the weight of the entire third-class. Every single third-class that had been looked down at or spit upon by any other superior-ranking Sayian rested their pride in him. They might not have to walk in shame if only he'd win this battle. They might not have to cringe when a second-class spoke anymore. They might not have to walk on eggshells when they passed a first-class Sayian on the street. He was their deciding factor, he thought with weighty importance.

Or was he?

_Was_ he? Really?

No, he… no, he _didn't_ represent them, he pondered. Not a single third-class was as strong as he was, was as good a fighter as he was, had as dark a complexion as he did, had the same kind of family problems he did, had the same small gap in his two front teeth that he did… He was his own. He was Kakarroto. He was representing his own self, his own strength, skill, and pride. No other third-class could ever say, "Yes, _I_ battled Elite Superior Nappa. You should have been there. You should have seen it."

Kakarroto looked around the stands with something other than fear and anger for the first time. He stared in awe. This was the first time in his entire life that he _honestly_ felt unique, felt like a true individual. No more "Raditz's little brother," "Bardock's son," or "another third-class." He was Kakarroto, strongest Sayian on the planet. And no one could take that from him.

"And now," King Vegeta continued, snapping Kakarroto from his reverie, "I present to you all the challenger: Elite Superior Nappa!"

The audience was roaring as Nappa flew down from some hidden spot in the crowd to the center of the arena. He raised his thick arms up and down, conducting the audience's cheers like a maestro would conduct his orchestra. Louder… a bit softer… much louder this time… Nappa lowered his arms while King Vegeta raised his hand, and the audience quieted once again.

"Third-class Kakarroto!" King Vegeta shouted, and Kakarroto felt his insides shrivel. "Approach your challenger!"

Kakarroto did just that amongst boos and hisses from the crowd. He felt another "first time in his life"; he'd never before felt his ears burn like this, but knew instantly that his face was turning red. He groaned mentally. Of all places, why _now_?

_Concentrate_, he told himself. _Ignore them and concentrate. They do not know what they judge just yet._

He looked up when he finally reached the gargantuan Nappa, gazing upon a bushy mustache and hard eyebrows for the third time in such a short time. Such a short time… only mere days… Nappa was wearing an expression Kakarroto had yet to see on him, though. It was one of bloodlust and arrogance with a feral tint in his broad grin. Kakarroto took deep, soothing breaths through his nose and forced himself into a partially meditated state. He needed to calm down; revealing his feelings though the blood in his face wasn't helping his situation at all.

The audience quieted again, but Kakarroto didn't break his gaze with Nappa, even to respect his king. "As is tradition," King Vegeta bellowed once more, "the challenger shall make the first hit, followed by a hit from the challenged. From there, it will be a free-for-all. The match will only be stopped upon the death of one or both of the competitors, the blackening out of one or both of the competitors, or if one or both of the competitors steps off of the arena. The area around the arena is out-of-bounds. Should one of these three incidents happen to both of the competitors at the same time, the contest will be considered a draw, and neither Sayian will be able to challenge each other again for one year." He paused, and there was a thick silence that Kakarroto could feel. He could also feel the power radiating off of Elite Superior Nappa and his tremulous fingers. So he got the first hit, did he? "The rules have been made clear. The challenger is now given permission to make the first strike."

That's what Kakarroto would have heard King Vegeta say, if Nappa hadn't begun his attack from the word "permission." As Kakarroto's attention had still been on King Vegeta's instructions, Nappa caught him off guard and nailed him firmly in the gut with his thick knee. The entire audience went into cheers as Kakarroto stumbled back, struggling to breathe. He knew it was unfair and nothing but foul play, but for Sayians, foul play was the best play.

Kakarroto's ears ringed amongst Elite Superior Nappa's booming laughter. He was beginning to feel his ears go hot again. No, he told himself. Don't loose it just yet. He's not the only one who can play dirty.

He regained his bearings and paused, waiting for the audience around him to stop laughing at him. He expected a silence to concentrate in, like the hush Nappa had received. Eight seconds… fourteen… twenty… Kakarroto realized that, instead of becoming quieter, they were only getting louder with the amount of time that passed. He looked like an idiot, scared stiff, he realized. His jaw trembled, but he clamped it shut, his insides quivering with embarrassment. Even Elite Superior Nappa, who was as tense as a spooked cat, had begun to laugh, that wild look still about him.

Kakarroto studied Nappa: his build, his stance, his form. He noted that Nappa's knees were probably weak with all the weight that was sitting on them, and that, even though he was tall, his arms weren't exactly proportional. They were several inches shorter than what they should be. And, Kakarroto's battle-trained eyes noticed, he was leaning on his left leg, and his right one wasn't as tense as it should have been, probably due to his laughter…

Quick as a flash, he pounced. Flying forward with speed Nappa just barely caught, Kakarroto came upon him and lifted his knee as if to return the generous gesture Nappa had given only seconds ago. As his right leg wasn't prepared and his left one was preoccupied, Nappa lowered his right hand and caught Kakarroto's knee. But the attacker was expecting precisely that, so Kakarroto's left fist rose to meet with the side of Nappa's ribs, just under his right shoulder.

Only Nappa and Kakarroto could hear the crack that followed.

There was a collective gasp, and then silence. Nappa stood still, staring at him in disbelief. Kakarroto was torn between disbelief at his own power and a rapidly growing thrill. First in his stomach, then spreading to his limbs, and then to his face. He broke out in a smile. Delighting at the awed look on Nappa's face, Kakarroto's Sayian instincts caught up with him, and he twisted his smile into a bloodthirsty smirk. He sprung backwards and crouched down into a waiting stance.

The only things that Nappa moved, however, were his eyes, as he watched Kakarroto's graceful movements. Every spectator was silent and in shock. Kakarroto took a brief glance around the crowd and felt his delight grow, the pleasure reaching a delicious peak as he noted the looks on both King Vegeta and Prince Vegeta's faces. Kakarroto looked back at Nappa, who was now just starting to move. He looked down and touched his side delicately, wincing at the pain. But when he looked up, there was a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Just as I expected," Nappa whispered softly, but with the surrounding crowd quiet, Kakarroto could clearly hear him. "You are one of a kind, third-class. It'll be a blast fighting you."

"My name's Kakarroto, _Nappa_," Kakarroto growled back, making his opponent's bushy eyebrows dance at the lack of respect in his address, "and I thought we _were_ fighting."

"Not quite yet," he chuckled, rubbing his damaged ribs for a second before crouching into position. "You don't know the meaning of the word fight yet."

And Nappa was on him. Kakarroto did a quick switch from his feet to his hands just in time to catch Nappa's muscular abdomen with the soles of his boots. Nappa grunted and tried to catch Kakarroto's legs and his balance, but he couldn't find either in time. Kakarroto leaned backwards and shoved Nappa into the sky with his feet. Elite Superior Nappa was only visible for a split-second, however, because he quickly vanished, moving at a speed equivalent only to light.

Kakarroto and he were soon locked in a fistfight, hovering above the ground as if they had been born in the sky. There were cheers going on all around in the crowd, and even though his ears logically told him that Bulma's cheers were among the loudest of them all, Kakarroto blotted them all out, even her cries, concentrating on nothing other than the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

Nappa and Kakarroto suddenly caught each other's hands, squeezing them viciously and bearing their teeth; both then attempted to harm the other with their lower extremities, but these did them no more service than their fists had. At one point Kakarroto found himself in a lock with Nappa, hands and knees both unable to move. Before he could think of what to do next, Nappa somehow hit him in the side of his gut. Kakarroto's eyelids flickered, but he didn't relent, instead trying to find the source of his problem; Nappa's tail was starting to beat his side with an amount of force that could not be ignored. Kakarroto almost laughed. He had never heard of a Sayian using its tail as a weapon.

Only among the Super Elites.

…Only among Elite Superior Nappa.

Kakarroto put a huge amount of force into shoving both his and the super elite's arms downward; he fell forward and cracked his cranium against Nappa's violently. Ignoring the searing pain attempting to split his head in two by concentrating on Nappa's howl of pain, he flew diagonally full force towards the grass surrounding the arena. Closer he got… closer… Nappa still hadn't regained his composure. He was almost there…

With a huge burst of energy, Nappa put a hefty amount of effort into swinging Kakarroto and himself around, and he succeeded. Kakarroto realized with a surge of horror that Nappa was now the one on top of him, and that _he _was going to be the unfortunate loser crashing into the ground. Amongst his second of panic, his concentration was altered, and he could hear Bulma's cheers clearly…

Kakarroto urgently began to slow down, but at this rate all was lost. He wasn't even five seconds from the ground. He racked his brain as fast as he could… Something to do; there must be something he could do. But there was nothing! The quickest way to stop would be to run into something, but he couldn't run into anything out here! He needed more time; he needed more time to slow down in the air.

He could do nothing more than scream as he emitted a blast of energy from his back, crumpling and destroying the ground beneath him. He and Nappa quickly went below the normal ground level, deep into the newly made chasm, giving Kakarroto plenty of time to stop. He eventually halted, and, taking a very quick moment to note with delight Nappa's look of astonishment, tried to shove the super elite off of him and into the walls of surrounding rock. The burly Sayian took a leaf out of Kakarroto's book, however, and blasted the ground out of his way. But this distraction gave Kakarroto enough time to return safely to ecstatic cheers and the arena above.

Kakarroto watched Nappa return to the ring with an eerie patience. The Sayian just shook his head and smirked, wiping the sweat off his brow. He was panting.

"You're something, you know that? Honestly the best I've ever fought," he complimented in his booming voice. Kakarroto chuckled.

"Why thank you. And to think that you can decide that when we haven't even been five minutes into our match yet. I must be pretty damn good."

"I know. Imagine…"

"And _you_ imagine that I will be the best that you _will_ ever fight, because it's already come true."

Nappa only chuckled, wiping some crud away from his nose with the top of his hand. Kakarroto glanced over at Bulma to see that she was jumping up and down, hollering for joy. He smirked in pleasure, and his spirits soared. He turned his attention back to Nappa, sinking down into an offensive position—only to find that Nappa wasn't there.

Kakarroto wasn't fast enough. He heard Nappa behind him a fraction of a second later, and he did his best to dodge the oncoming blow, but it seemed that Nappa, even with all his bulk, had gotten the advantage of surprise. Nappa's elbow collided with Kakarroto's shoulder blade, sending him flying in the opposite direction. But Kakarroto was lucky. Had he not moved at all, Nappa's elbow would have hit him in the back of his neck, possibly killing him then and there.

Kakarroto should know. He'd killed someone in a very similar manner only a few days ago.

The third-class Sayian regained his composure quickly and sprung back to meet Nappa in a brutal free for all. Both took turns on offensive and defensive strides, emitting power incomprehensible to a majority of the spectators in the stands. Everyone soon realized that this low-class Sayian—this Kakarroto—was not an average third-class. Some were even so bold to believe that, perhaps, Kakarroto may very well be stronger than Elite Superior Nappa.

Nappa himself was one of those bold few.

Kakarroto slowly managed to back Nappa up as they were fighting, forcing him by sheer nearness to take one step back at a time. Slowly they both approached the edge of the ring, and the crowd was starting to get louder and louder. If they were a group of unruly lower-class Sayians, Kakarroto was sure fights would have broken out among the audience by now, but, from what he could see out of his peripheral vision, they were still in their seats. He concentrated more on Nappa's frightened expression and on how close they were to the edge of the arena now.

"Looks like this battle is over," Kakarroto grunted, his pupils dilating with excitement. Nappa blocked three more vicious punches, the sweat and blood dripping off his face.

Kakarroto kicked at Nappa's feet and tripped him up, throwing a punch to his face directly afterwards. For a fraction of a second, it might have looked like Kakarroto had won. Nappa began to fly back; the edge of the arena was no more than several feet away. But Nappa reacted quickly, and in a manner that Kakarroto didn't expect at all. Grabbing the arm that had just delivered a punch to his face, Nappa regained his balance on the arena and began swinging his opponent in circle. Kakarroto fought to keep his world from becoming a blur.

"Yes, it sure is," he heard Nappa sputter, just before letting go of Kakarroto's arm and sending him, instead, flying towards the ground. The wind whistled in Kakarroto's ears; he could no longer hear the audience even if he wanted to. His vision was gone, his stomach uneasy, Nappa was out of arm's reach, but he had to do something…

Kakarroto quickly decided to pull a leaf out of Nappa's book, and he darted out with his long tail as fast as he could. Before Nappa even realized what was going on, he felt a furry appendage wrap around his thick leg and yank him forward. Kakarroto yelled out, pulling as hard as he could; it wasn't every day he had to use his tail to pull extremely heavy objects, and the effort was killing him. Holding his opponent close, Kakarroto used physical laws and the angle he had been thrown to twirl Nappa around with him. It all happened so fast, and they were so close to the ground, that Nappa didn't have enough time to react. Before he knew it, Nappa was driven into the ground, his opponent balancing precariously on top of him.

The crowd was screaming when Kakarroto finally got his bearings fully about him. When he realized that he'd succeeded in making Nappa lose, in staying on top of him and not touch the ground, emotions swelled up inside of him. He grinned, tilted his head back and howled towards the air.

Nappa was scowling, trying to push Kakarroto away. "Get off me, you crazy dog," he mumbled bitterly, giving the younger a good shove onto his bottom. Kakarroto rolled on his back and began laughing triumphantly while Nappa stood up. He felt nothing but complete bliss, a floating sensation—he was floating on his victory and the cheers of the crowd. He opened his eyes and looked to the stands to see Bulma literally crying for joy. Crying over his honor. His heart swelled with a feeling he'd never experienced before. He felt such a yearning, lying there, watching her… He tilted his head in awe and admiration. It was strange, but… it occurred to him then that the only thing he wanted was to have her close, by his side. Forever.

_That_ would be perfect.

He climbed to his feet amongst ecstatic cheers of the crowd. Lightheaded with excitement, he flew up seven feet and moved to hover in the center of the arena, eyelevel with the middle of the stands. He looked down at Bulma's blue hair from above and shouted, lifting his arm high in the air. He laughed and turned around towards the royalty box. He looked squarely at King Vegeta and hollered again, his voice no louder than any of the others in the stands. The king tilted his head back a little. Prince Vegeta was no where to be seen.

King Vegeta raised his hand, but the audience didn't seem to be looking at him. He held it there for several more long moments, but still to no prevail. Kakarroto began to smirk, and, to put the king out of his misery, he pointed at him, directing the entire audience to their superior. They only then began to silence. Elite Superior Nappa floated up in the sky next to Kakarroto, looking solemn and impassive. Kakarroto marveled at how flat Nappa's countenance was; if it weren't for the fact that he was sweating profusely and bleeding, he would have given no indication to any stranger that he had just been in a rigorous fight.

"I declare the winner of this match to be third-class Kakarroto, son of Bardock." There was another round of screaming and hollering. Kakarroto could do nothing more than smirk and tilt his head back in arrogant pleasure. "The loser: Elite Superior Nappa IV, son of Nappa III."

The Sayians began screaming wildly and shouting, cutting off whatever King Vegeta was about to say. Nappa grunted and turned towards Kakarroto, poking his shoulder. Kakarroto answered his poke with a look, and, noticing Nappa's outstretched hand, took it and shook it with his own.

"It was all luck," Nappa mumbled, frowning at him. Kakarroto grinned; the audience was so loud that no one could hear them except themselves.

"You seriously call it luck? You don't believe that."

"I know."

Nappa squeezed his hand tighter, but, at the same time, his frown softened and his eyes twinkled. "It was a pleasure battling with you, third-class."

"Kakarroto."

"Kakarroto."

"And it was a blast battling with you, Elite Superior Nappa."

Not waiting for King Vegeta to even start what he was trying to say, Nappa floated to the ground and sauntered off the arena, heading towards the palace. Kakarroto watched him go; many Sayians swarmed around Nappa, claiming that Kakarroto had cheated somehow, that Nappa was a brilliant, unmatchable fighter, that the outcome had to be only a crazy fluke. To all of these, the burly Sayian merely nodded his head, but, from what Kakarroto could perceive, he wasn't swallowing any of it. One Sayian fought his way hard to Nappa's side and said that Kakarroto was a third-class, and they were all of them filthy cheaters.

Nappa stopped dead, forcing someone to walk into his back. His troupe fell silent, staring at Nappa and the man who had just spoken. Kakarroto watched as Nappa poked him in the chest. "Now you listen: I do not know or care to know what your definition of a third-class is, but whatever it is, you cannot group him with them. He cannot be defined that way. He is different!" He paused and looked around. By now, most of the people in the stands had quieted and were watching as well. With a swallow and a thoughtful look (or as thoughtful of a look as Nappa could summon), he continued steadily, "They are all, all of them different. Today I was beaten by a Sayian that you refer to as a 'third-class.' So now does that make him a super elite? Or maybe even a level greater? Or, perhaps, does that make me the dust of Vegetasei? No! I won't have it! I have been beaten by _Kakarroto_, not something that will make me no greater than the spit that flies from your lips!"

There was complete silence now, and people were so stunned that Nappa had to shove several by-standers out of his way just to keep heading for the palace. Kakarroto blinked, feeling another emotion that he'd never felt before. He chuckled to himself and smiled a genuine smile, looking more handsome than ever before. This was what memories were made of.

He floated to the ground, yet he wasn't swarmed with admirers like Nappa had been. Not a single stranger in the stands ran out to him. They all seemed shocked by Nappa's message. Shaking their heads and glancing warily at him, a majority of the audience slowly and quietly stood up, floating thoughtfully back to the palace. Some cocked their heads and arrogantly flicked their tails. One Sayian even shouted, "You're still just another third-class to me!"

Kakarroto's spirits fell sharply. He was too bewildered to be angry. They had just been cheering madly for him ten seconds ago! Why had they stopped caring?

Something collided with his right side, wrapping its arms around him. Catching a pleasant scent and a fleeting glimpse of blue locks, Kakarroto turned his head to see Bulma holding him tight, squealing into his arm. He smiled. Perhaps their admiration didn't mean so much to him, after all…

Not at the moment, anyway.

"Kakarroto, you were wonderful! Absolutely brilliant! I can't believe how awesome you were! Faster than my eyes could keep up with! Oh, and that last part, you were so clever! I would have never thought of that—how _did_ you think of it? Oh I'm sure you can't explain it. It must have been nothing but sheer brilliance—instinct! You're such a wonderful fighter!"

Chi-Chi strolled up behind her sister, trying to look as distant as she could and doing a terrible job. Her eyes were dark and stormy with emotion. Her mouth cocked in a half-grin, she shoved Kakarroto's free shoulder in a supposed playful manner, yet it was hard enough to knock Kakarroto back a step. Bulma gave her a cold look.

"It's hard to imagine that only this morning Raditz and I were holding you down," Chi-Chi mumbled, crossing her arms. She returned the coldness Bulma was throwing at her.

Kakarroto smirked. "Yea, I was pretty great, wasn't I?" Chi-Chi snorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Aren't you going to brag to me like you did the other night?" she asked loudly. "Aren't you going to use sweet words and try to win me over? Remember that? In the kitchen?"

Bulma's hold on his shoulder didn't falter, but Kakarroto could somehow feel something was working in her mind. His bliss was slipping away. He felt a small flame of hate surge through his veins, but he calmed it and held Bulma closer.

"No, Chi-Chi, from now on, you can play that game by yourself, because I've found something much better than any haughty first-class rubbish could give me. And you know what it is? Happiness, and I've found it, no thanks to you. You can't give me that. You can't even give Raditz that."

It was suddenly Bulma who was clutching him tighter. He glanced down to see her blue eyes looking up at him, shining with tears again, this time from emotions not related to adrenaline. He grinned down at her and then looked up.

Chi-Chi's lips were tight. She snorted as if his statement was nothing more than dribble, but her eyes had darted to the ground. Bardock suddenly appeared behind her, smiling softly. Chi-Chi looked up again; her face was whiter than ever.

"Good show, Kakarroto, good show!" Bardock said, patting his son on his free shoulder and taking a step back. "Very good. I didn't know you could fight like that!"

"You probably should have watched me sometime, Dad," Kakarroto said. "I'm sure you would have picked it up then."

"Oh, I always thought that bumbling was nothing more than alley fights, so to speak."

"I know you did."

"Huh… But you were splendid, Kakarroto, simply splendid! I don't believe I've ever witnessed a fight quite like that in my entire life! That will be one to remember… I'll tell my grandkids about that one someday. If I haven't forgotten it by then, in old age of course. Oh, but I'm sure I won't forget it…"

"No, you won't," Bulma whispered with pride. "Even if I have to remind you three times a day for the rest of your days." Kakarroto squeezed her briefly. Chi-Chi said nothing.

"We'll let's get home, then, shall we?" Bardock suggested, a hint of anxiety in his voice. He was looking around at the disappearing audience as if he were afraid one of them would sneak up and attack him from behind just for talking to Kakarroto.

"Yes, let's," Chi-Chi agreed, turning and making the first move. Bardock looked around.

"All right… where's Raditz?"

Chi-Chi answered: "He left about the time the battle had ended. Prince Vegeta had asked to speak with him, and of course they couldn't talk with such a commotion going on—"

"No big deal, I'll go find Raditz," Kakarroto offered, wanting nothing more than to be able to see the expression on his brother's face. He was almost rottenly giddy at the thought.

"He's talking to Prince Vegeta!" Chi-Chi said, stopping to turn around and stare angrily at Kakarroto. The taller shrugged.

"And if he's still talking to him, I'll leave them alone! I just wanna see me brother! Get off my back!" Kakarroto made a noise in his throat, gently removed Bulma from his side, and turned to stalk off.

But he stopped. "Where'd they go?" he demanded. Chi-Chi laughed pompously.

"That way," she said, lifting her hand and pointing towards the palace's courtyard. Kakarroto turned and headed for just that.

The farther away he got from the stadium, the quieter and quainter it became. He was now on the northern side of the palace territory; an area of careful gardeners, beautiful foliage and banned fighting. It was a place of midnight strolls, quiet meditation, and ambition-lacking dreams. It wasn't any place of the likes that Kakarroto had ever been to or heard of. With its soft sunshine touching what had to be Vegetasei's largest patch of green on its ruby red soil, Kakarroto was at a loss as to what to think of it. So instead, he focused on finding Raditz.

As he got deeper and deeper into the garden, parts of it hidden by beautiful nine-foot high walls of well-trimmed brush and thick-trunked trees, Kakarroto's hair began to stand on end. He took softer footsteps, his ears keenly tuned for any noise other than his shallow breathing. Somehow the aura of the beautiful garden had grown strangely eerie, and he felt that with each billow of the wind he was getting closer and closer to something… But, he thought with a squirming stomach, he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

As he was just about to turn another hedge, he heard a voice on the other side, so close and loud that it made him jump. He bit the inside of his lip and tensed his muscles, calming himself down. It was only Raditz's voice. Kakarroto had found him.

He relaxed and opened his mouth to say something witty, but before he could, he caught the tone of Raditz's voice. With a few more seconds, Kakarroto also caught what Raditz was saying, and it was enough to keep him silent—and more than enough to tense him up again.

"Well, sire, she's a good choice. Very good, I should know… But sire, I don't know if… I don't know if that can be done. I don't know if I can just—_give_ her to you like that."

"And why not?" It was Prince Vegeta. "Are you daring to deny my orders?"

"But sire, I can't do it! I can't even _imagine_ doing it. She's my—"

Prince Vegeta was nearly shouting in return. "I don't care what she is to you or whatever sacrifice you have to make! I am the prince, and my word is law! You cannot refuse me, Raditz, or I will publicly detail and behead you. You are _sworn_ to serve me!"

"I know, my prince, I know! Prince Vegeta, I mean… I'm just asking you to think this over. Do you really think this is a wise move? I mean, you've been denying girls left and right, so why should this one be any different—"

"She _is_ different! I've never seen anything so beautiful, and I want her now nearly as much as I want Frieza dead. You can't deny me what I want!"

"I thought you were refusing females for your own safety!" Raditz suddenly cut in, so loud that Kakarroto's intake of breath was sharp. He could feel the tension and anxiety radiating off of both of them, and it was making him doubly nervous. He was damp with perspiration. Suppose they should find him like this? How could he even begin to explain himself? "Suppose Frieza should find out about this! Suppose he decides to take her from you, to use her against you and the people of Vegetasei! What would be the point of having her then?"

There was a pause. Kakarroto listened intently for several seconds, waiting for Prince Vegeta's reply. It occurred to him after the pause became particularly long that he might have been spotted. Kakarroto's stomach lurched, and he tried to straighten up so he could tiptoe away. A bead of sweat fell across his right temple. But Prince Vegeta continued before he took one step, and Kakarroto was rooted to the spot again.

"Just because we were together on Frieza's ship for _far_ too long does not mean you have any privilege whatsoever to judge me," he said softly. "You do not know me, Raditz. Contrary to whatever you seem to be thinking, I have _no_ feelings of anxiety for anyone's safety… other than my own." He took a deep breath. "You try to back-talk me like this again and I will drive my hand through your neck, do you hear me loud and clear?"

"…Yes my prince. I just wanted to make sure you were certain about your decision."

"I am always 'certain.'"

"Yes my prince." Kakarroto heard a deep intake of breath precede a long, slow exhale. "Well I'm sure this will come as a surprise to everyone. I mean, she's not a super elite, and your family has a tradition—"

"I'm not one for keeping traditions."

"Yes sire… At least she's not a third-class…"

Prince Vegeta grunted. Kakarroto listened with bated breath to Raditz's shuffling feet. His eyes widened, watching the bend around the wall of foliage with horror.

"So," Raditz suddenly said, "do you—do you want me to—to tell her as soon as I get home, sire?"

"No. I'll send Nappa to do it tomorrow since you don't seem to have the backbone. Plus, if she were notified early, she might try to run from me…"

"Sire," Raditz mumbled indignantly, "I have the honor to do whatever you would wish of me… You needn't send Nappa—"

"Yes, Raditz, I do need," Prince Vegeta barked, "because Nappa also has to take care of some business while he's there that you can't do."

"Business? What orders does he hav—"

"It is HIS business, Raditz, and the reason that it is HIS business is because I do not want it to be YOUR business! You _do_ understand?"

"Yes, yes my prince, of course!"

Kakarroto could hear that the conversation was coming to a close. He couldn't possibly escape now. They would surely hear him or spot him. He had to think of something quick. He wiped touches of sweat away from his face.

"Return to your home now, Raditz, I have nothing more to say to—"

"So _here_ you are!" Kakarroto interrupted, coming around the bend. He watched their startled faces with a rapidly thumping heart, stepping forward casually and shoving Raditz's shoulder gently. He looked from Raditz's strained face to Prince Vegeta's slightly pink one and smirked. "I've been looking for you ever since Chi-Chi told me you headed off in this direction." He looked towards Prince Vegeta and bowed, feeling like it was the stupidest move of his entire life; he could practically feel heat rays shooting out from Prince Vegeta's eyes, into his neck. He straightened up and continued, "If I may, my prince, I'd like him to escort me home. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Kakarroto began to sweat under Prince Vegeta's scrutinizing gaze. He knew… he knew… he must know… It was so obvious. What should he do? Should he just admit to eavesdropping right now? No, that would be stupid… But what if he made a run for it? Right now, if he caught them off guard, he could probably get away; he was pretty fast, even if he did say so himself. But no, that would be a stupid move too. There was no where on Vegetasei he could run to where he wouldn't be found sooner or later.

Prince Vegeta tilted his head back slightly, just as his father had done when Kakarroto had won the fight. Kakarroto's attention was demanded to Prince Vegeta's eyes again, and he kept them steadily there. It occurred to him then that he wasn't exactly a master of disguising his emotions; whatever he felt, he had always let everyone know. Each breath he took was forced and straining him.

"That was one hell of a fight, third class," Prince Vegeta finally said in a soft voice. Kakarroto winced, despite himself. Prince Vegeta's expression then became one of curiosity; Kakarroto could have kicked himself, his stomach shriveling inside of him.

"Thank you very much, sire," he mumbled quickly. He darted his eyes to Raditz, unable to take the prince's cold onyx stare any longer. "Good fight, eh Raditz?"

Raditz grunted. Kakarroto forced a small smirk, but it quickly disappeared as he turned and looked at his prince. Prince Vegeta studied him for a second longer before he sniffed and the pupils in his eyes dilated, becoming so large that Kakarroto could no longer tell what was pupil and what was dark iris. They were eyes that belonged to an animal, and it almost seemed out of place that Prince Vegeta wasn't a wild beast madly trying to strike at him. Kakarroto's insides squirmed and his knees were growing weaker by the second.

"Yes, you may certainly take Raditz home," he said in a heavy voice. "We've finished all important business in our conversation, haven't we Raditz?"

Raditz nodded, bowed and mumbled something inaudible. Prince Vegeta nodded in return. "Good then. You may go." Even with his words, though, his tone didn't sound final, and neither Kakarroto nor Raditz had budged an inch when Prince Vegeta continued, looking eerily at Kakarroto with those overly large pupils, "Expect a visit from Elite Superior Nappa soon, you two."

Kakarroto didn't move, didn't even stop staring at Prince Vegeta until Raditz started tugging on his arm. He had a hard time stumbling away; his legs felt like jelly. So Vegeta _had_ known after all? He hadn't hid his secret as well as he thought he had. But, no, perhaps he had. There was still the chance…

So why had Vegeta stared so pointedly at him while speaking? Kakarroto pondered over that, absent-mindedly floating into the air after Raditz. He knew what it meant, of course. Like Prince Vegeta had said, he was going to send Nappa to pick up Chi-Chi. But why stare at him like he had—

It was then that Kakarroto washed over that statement again. He was struck with horror, and, despite himself, a great sense of pity. This wasn't fair for Chi-Chi not to know. She was helpless, defenseless. He studied Raditz while his brother wasn't looking. The expression on his face was a lost and helpless one, and, despite himself, he felt sympathy.

Minutes earlier it would have seemed only second nature to think of females as prizes and trophies to be grabbed and had. But now, after his fight with Elite Superior Nappa and his revelation with Bulma, he didn't want it to happen to her. He didn't want Chi-Chi to be harmed. Despite his loathing of her cruelty, he felt a new respect for her and all females, especially his Bulma. But what should he do? What _could_ he do?

He could do a lot. And, Kakarroto thought as he flew through the crisp afternoon air of Vegetasei, easily keeping up with Raditz, he'd decided resolutely what he _would_ do.

---

Oooh, what is Kakarroto's decision? Does Prince Vegeta know Kakarroto's overheard him? And what's going to happen to Chi-Chi? That's next week…

**P**udgoose


	10. Nine

**Disclaimer**: I've got my birth certificate right here and… well what do you know… It DOES say Akira Toriyama on it!  Waaaa-HOOOOOO—Oh, wait, my bad.  No it doesn't.  I just can't read.  Ehehehehe…

**Author's Notes**:  The story's starting to come to a close.  Just one more chapter after this!  (Speaking of which, I may not be here next Sunday, which means…  DUN DUN DUN! you have to wait!  I'll post the news up in my profile sometime during the middle of this week, in case you'd like to check out the deal there.)

This particular chapter took me a while, but it was strange because once I got in the mood to write, I wrote several pages at a time.  Then I'd take a month-long break… and come back with several more pages.  Oh, the insanity of it all…  Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

**The Brute**

Chapter Nine

"Let's throw a party!" Bulma shouted, wrapping Kakarroto up in her arms as soon as he touched down on his front yard.  Kakarroto grinned and hugged her back, picking her off the ground and spinning in a circle.  Raditz watched them, his mouth and eyes collectively silent.

"You know, I wouldn't mind that!" he replied, setting her back down and winking at her amongst her laughter.  "A party for me!  We'll call it the 'Kakarroto's better than everyone else on the planet' party!"

Bulma laughed, nudging him playfully.  "Oh, can't do that one buddy.  It'd have to be 'better than everyone else but Bulma.'"

"Oh ho ho!" he laughed, squatting down and swiftly scooping her up in his arms.  She squealed with delight.  "And what gives you _that_ idea, huh?"

Raditz watched the two of them enjoy each other and cuddle for several more seconds before turning and heading towards the house.  Kakarroto followed him, Bulma still in his arms and the two of them laughing ridiculously like little children.  They stepped inside easily as the door was still missing.  Chi-Chi was cleaning up the kitchen robotically; Bardock was in a seat at the kitchen table, scratching his back.

"Well, what do you say?" Bulma asked everyone, steadying herself back on the ground.  "Let's throw a party for Kakarroto!  I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing!  Heck, it's a once-in-a-millennium thing!"  She grinned around at everyone, Kakarroto beaming at her pride in him.  "I mean, how often does a third-class beat a super elite?!  I'm starting to wonder: does Vegetasei's caste system have some faults in it?"  She laughed.

A glass slipped out of Chi-Chi's hands and shattered at her feet.  Bardock jumped out of his seat at the sound.  But instead of being upset at the broken glass, Chi-Chi spun around and faced Bulma, the pallor in her face starting to get blotches of red from fury.  "Watch it Bulma!" she spat.  "One more blasphemy like that and I will report you to the palace, no questions asked!"

Bulma looked at her, incredulous anger spreading on her face.  Nobody said anything for several tangible seconds, however.  Kakarroto started to get angry at Chi-Chi too, before he noticed the strange look of pain on Raditz's face.  Reminded of his and Prince Vegeta's conversation, he felt a strange twang of emotion in his chest and let his anger slip away.  Raditz stepped towards Chi-Chi.

"Here beloved, let me help you with that," he said softly, bending over and picking up pieces of glass at her feet.  Chi-Chi's face softened when she looked at him.

"Oh… oh Raditz you don't have to do that," she mumbled, helping him pick everything up.  They watched the pair before Bardock cleared his throat and sat back down at the table.

Bulma went back to smiling.  "So what do you say everyone?  Shall I call up all of your friends right now?  Let's celebrate!"

"I don't think so," Bardock mumbled under an exhale, running his hand through his hair.  He smiled apologetically.  "Just too busy today.  Don't think I'll be up for it…"

Kakarroto blinked at him.  "What?" he said.  Bardock watched him.  "What do you mean—you're not going to be doing anything today Daddy."

Bulma blinked, noting that that was the first time she'd ever heard Kakarroto call his father such an intimate term.  Bardock gave him a hard look.  "Of course I am son.  I've got to replace the door you knocked down earlier today.  And after all that's happened today, I just don't feel up to it."

Kakarroto felt nauseated.  He was too hurt to be angry.  "But—" he mumbled, "—but aren't you proud of me Bardock?"  The honesty in his question shocked everyone.  Raditz and Chi-Chi stopped what they were doing and looked at him.  "Aren't you proud of what I've done?  You've got a rarity standing before you.  You've… you've got a success.  You threw a party for Raditz when he came home.  Why won't you do the same for me?  Damn it, Bardock, what makes Raditz so radically different from me that you must shower him with affection and drop me like I was something useless and dead?"

Bardock scowled.  "Quit making stuff up, son, just because I can't be torn away today!  I'm pleased with your win, and you know I am.  You've got no right to sprout these lies—"

"Yet what right do you have to ignore me like you do?" Kakarroto barked back, his eyes just starting to flame up.  "Your gaze is so fixed on Raditz that I couldn't possibly get your attention, even if I were to cover your eyes with my hands!  What right do you think you have?  Why do you do it Bardock?!"

"And you, _son_, have no right to talk back to me!" Bardock spat back, standing up.  "I will not entertain your immature lies!  I will not have a party for you today and that is that!"

Silence echoed after his words.  Kakarroto was past disbelief—in fact, he was very capable of believing what he was hearing because he'd grown to expect it.  He didn't even know why he continued to bother.

His stomach churning unpleasantly, Kakarroto slowly turned to Bulma.  "Well my dear," he said, "I believe it will be just you and me tonight."

"Don't worry Kakarroto," Bulma reassured him firmly, giving Bardock a very angry and incredulous look, "I'll throw a party for you and invite everyone.  It'll be the best party ever!  Come on, we'll celebrate down at the bar where we first met!"  And holding his arm securely in her hands, she led him out the gap in the doorframe, shooting the entire family behind her very nasty glares.

Raditz and Chi-Chi stood up and threw the pieces of the broken glass into the trash.

Kakarroto's party was one that South Wing hadn't seen in a long, long time.  Bulma was true to her word, inviting everyone she knew and everyone she didn't.  Practically every third and second class showed up, as well as a good number of first class Sayians, eager to see exactly who it was that had defeated Elite Superior Nappa.  Several of Kakarroto's former acquaintances showed up at his side, stroking his arm and tempting him.  He firmly denied their advances, however, and told them to "bewitch someone else with their whorish selves."

Bulma stayed by Kakarroto's side as much as she could that night, and he to her.  There was something in Bulma's eyes that made her so much prettier than Kakarroto had ever seen her before.  She looked like an absolute goddess, and, thinking over all the things he'd done with other women and how he had tried to use her, he felt extremely ashamed.  He was mortified with himself and wondered how he could have ever done such a thing to her.  He wished he could ask for her forgiveness, but he decided that a party held in his honor just wasn't the appropriate place.  Besides, he didn't know where he would begin anyway.

It was in the wee hours of the morning when Kakarroto and Bulma glided back home in each other's arms.  They were exhausted and hardly said a word to each other, yet their peace was a calm one.  Now is the perfect time, Kakarroto thought to himself, smelling the wonderful scent of Bulma's hair.  _I should say it now.  Now would be perfect._

He just couldn't bring himself to do it.

The couple landed in front of the chipped and weary looking house of Bardock.  The door was still missing, and from what Kakarroto could see, there wasn't a replacement door anywhere in sight.  But Kakarroto didn't care; at the moment, his life was perfect with Bulma in his arms, under the shine of the stars.

Bulma, however, was going to pick up the slack of her lover's anger.  "I just can't believe it," she mumbled darkly, looking at the door and shaking her head.  "I would have never thought from first glance that your family could be so cruel to you.  But then again, Raditz and Bardock both like Chi-Chi, and she isn't…"  Bulma trailed off; something inside of her hindered her saying anything more.

Kakarroto didn't know what to say.  "Yea," he finally mumbled back.

"It's just so… so… disgusting," Bulma prodded on darkly, starting to tremble from emotion.  "I don't know how they can do it to you.  _Why_ do they do it to you?  This abuse is absolutely incomprehensible!  They should be ashamed to call themselves relatives of yours!"

_They are,_ Kakarroto thought.

"You, who are so smart and skilled!  You, who are such a brilliant and powerful fighter!  You, who are so absolutely… absolutely wonderful!  How can they _possibly_ claim any blood relation to you?!"

_I'm not _nearly_ that great_, Kakarroto thought with a sickening feeling.  He hated himself for giving Bulma such a false impression.

She turned and looked at him earnestly, her large blue eyes sparkling from the stars.  "Kakarroto, why don't you move out?  Have you never thought of it?  I could come and live with you!  Oh, it would be so very wonderful, and with your strength, we'd surely be well off!"

The idea was romantic, and Kakarroto thought of it with longing.  Why _had_ he never moved out before?  Why had he stayed with his father for so long?  Perhaps he had wanted something from his father?  But Kakarroto couldn't think of any idea as to what it could be.  It didn't matter, he concluded, because he didn't want it—or didn't need it—any longer.

The longer he thought about it, the less romantic and more tangible the fantasy became.  He finally grinned down at her.  "That's a great idea, Bulma!" he whispered happily, squeezing her arms gently.  "I'll let everyone else know tomorrow, and we'll start packing!  Hopefully we can be out of here in a couple of days.  There's a favorite hideout of mine on the other side of South Wing that I think would be perfect!  It won't take long at all to build us a home, and—"

Bulma's giggle of ecstasy cut him short.  He grinned and picked her up, spinning her around several times.  Her laughter's echo was soft.  "That sounds wonderful!  I'll start packing tonight!"

He laughed back.  "Oh, let's not worry about that now.  We need some sleep!  We'll worry about packing up tomorrow."

"Yes, but still," she whispered impishly, squirming out of his grasp and trotting towards the front door.  Kakarroto laughed and ran after her, the two Sayians crashing into the kitchen like children.  They giggled and tiptoed into the living room, holding each other to keep from laughing.

Raditz was lying on the living room couch, fast asleep, snoring and grunting.  Bulma snickered.

"Kinda sad, isn't it?" she whispered quietly to Kakarroto.  But, as Kakarroto watched, he thought of Chi-Chi and how true that statement really was.  He looked at Bulma after several long moments and motioned for her to go ahead to his room.

"I'll be there in just a second," he assured, smiling.  She smiled back, whispered that she would be waiting, and tiptoed off.

Kakarroto looked at his brother and, for the first time in his life, forgot all past wrongs his brother had done to him.  He watched Raditz's foot kick, his tail twitch and heard the soft sighs of irritated moans in pity.  He wondered what it must be like for Raditz, knowing that his lover was left for such a short amount of time.  He wondered if that's what it felt like to so many third-class males that he had stolen mates from.  He wondered if he'd ever have to feel the same way and shuddered.  He had been awful, he concluded.  Awful and rotten to the core.  Kakarroto felt fleetingly that perhaps he had deserved all he had been served by his brother and father and so many other members of his society.

It occurred to him then, suddenly, that Chi-Chi still didn't know.  He wondered if she did know, and he wondered if, in case she didn't, he should tell her.  Kakarroto frowned, looking at his sleeping brother on the couch, and decided he probably should.  Even if Chi-Chi didn't have anywhere to run in Vegetasei, she could certainly cherish her last few hours with her true lover.  Spending their last night together in separate rooms just didn't seem right to Kakarroto.

So, fearing that his brother would tell Prince Vegeta if he found out that he had been eavesdropping on their conversation, Kakarroto turned and tiptoed towards Raditz's bedroom.  Somehow, telling Chi-Chi just seemed like a safer option.  He hesitated at the doorknob, looked down the hall and gently turned it, creaking the door forward.  Kakarroto peeped inside.

Starlight fell in through the window and caressed Chi-Chi's lonely form.  Kakarroto viewed her in her bed, sleeping in comfortable attire, and felt guilty.  He had wanted to see her like this, and in much less than this, many times before.  He again cursed his past lust and crept further inside.

The house felt eerily silent as he tiptoed to the bed.  He stood at the foot of it, watching her sleep peacefully, wondering if he should really do this.  He didn't know what was best.  Raditz obviously thought it was best if she didn't know, but he could very well be in a state of denial.  Kakarroto had experienced those before, and knew how powerful they were.  But tomorrow, would Chi-Chi regret not having known, realizing she could have spent more time with her lover?

Kakarroto wasn't sure, but he was sure that _he_ would feel extremely ridden with guilt if he didn't tell her now.

Deciding this, he tiptoed just a few steps closer, his shadow blocking the starlight and throwing Chi-Chi's face into darkness.  He lowered himself to the edge of her bed and sat, but still she did not wake.

"Chi-Chi?" he whispered.  She made no sign at all that she had heard him.  "Chi-Chi?  Chi-Chi?  Witch of death?  Inflictor of pain?  Meany head?"

Chi-Chi snorted in her sleep and swallowed, smacking her lips peacefully.  Kakarroto contained his snicker, mentally telling himself to be serious, because this was a serious issue.  His expression became solemn and his laugh was chased away.  He lowered his hand gently to her shoulder.

"Chi-Chi?" he whispered again, nudging it.  Her eyes shot open.  Kakarroto wondered briefly if he had startled her, but a couple seconds more observation told him that he hadn't.  She winked sleepily at him.

"Kakarroto?" she questioned softly, wondering if what she was seeing was a dream.  He nodded.

"Yea, it's me."

"What are you doing here?" she asked louder, sitting up in bed.  Now that she moved out of his shadow, her expression could be perfectly distinguished, and he noted her look of curiosity and terror.

"Shhh," he hushed softly.  "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or do anything of the sort.  I just want to tell you something."

"What do you mean?" she mumbled back sleepily, holding her head as if she had a headache.

"I mean that I want to tell you something important, something about you and Raditz."  If he had thought her interest would peak up at this, he was mistaken.  Her expression didn't change.  If anything, it relaxed more.

"Don't worry Kakarroto, I know," she mumbled back.  He blinked incredulously.

"You mean… you know?  And he's still sleeping on the couch?"

"Of course!" she mumbled back bitterly, sitting up even further and removing her hand from her head.  "You should know your brother better than that.  He's too arrogant to apologize.  I know he may _feel_ sorry, but that doesn't account for anything.  I want him to apologize to me, and _only_ in the morning.  I don't want to deal with any of it now, so good night."

She made to slip back under the covers, but Kakarroto pressed on.  "What the heck are you talking about?"

She gave him a look.  "What are _you_ talking about?"

"Something totally different, it seems.  Explain what you said to me first."

Chi-Chi eyed him in the dark.  Kakarroto was sure that with his back to the starlight, it was hard for her to see his face.  "Raditz and I had a fight today, so I made him sleep on the couch."

"What about?"

She seemed more than ready to explain, as if she had formerly screamed her story to the wall, but she now needed something that would respond.  "Well, we were talking in the kitchen earlier today, and Bardock said he was going to bed, right?  It was really early in the day, too, the lazy bum.  And he still hadn't done a thing to get a new door for the doorframe!  So I told Raditz that he should tell his Dad to fix the door before nightfall tonight.  I didn't even say it in a mean way, you know, I just sort of suggested!  But Raditz got all defensive about his father and told me that it was his house and that he could do whatever he wanted.  So then I told him that I refused to sleep in a house that wasn't at least halfway taken care of, and he asked me if I'd like to sleep outside, then.  After that we said some more words…  But I eventually told him that _I_ wasn't going to be the one to sleep outside, _he_ was, and went into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.  He didn't even try to come in."  She looked down at the sheets.  "Though he could have, if he wanted too.  He's much stronger than me."

Kakarroto stared at her.  _That_ was the reason they weren't spending the night together?  But it was so stupid, so very pointless!  How could they be so petty that they should barricade their channel of love with a ridiculous argument?  How dare _Raditz_, moreover, because he knew things that she did not!  He scowled, determined more than ever to set things right.

"What are you giving _me_ that look for?" she grumbled at his sour face.  "_I'm_ not to blame for any of this!  And our fight is no business of yours, anyway!"

"Chi-Chi, I don't care about any ill will between you and Raditz!" he spat but, a second later, realized it wasn't true.  What was he doing in her room if he didn't care?

Chi-Chi seemed to be thinking along similar lines.  "Why are you in here anyway?  Get out!"

"I've got to tell you something!"

"Then what is it?!"

Kakarroto took a deep breath and decided to start from the beginning, as it would make no sense to her if he spat it out alone.  "You know earlier today, after my fight, when I went to look for Raditz?"

"Yea?" she answered slowly.  Suddenly, her eyes widened.  "He wasn't with another female, was he?"

"What?  No!" Kakarroto replied, waving her paranoia off.  "Of course not!  He was with Prince Vegeta, like you told me."

"Oh…"

"But when I stumbled upon them, they didn't see me, because I was behind some plants in the palace garden.  I was going to speak up, but—" Kakarroto paused uncertainly.  He sounded like a skulking snoop "—but I overheard what Raditz and Prince Vegeta were talking about, and something kept me from saying anything."

There was a pause.  He wanted Chi-Chi to get over that look before he pressed on.  "You were _spying_ on them?" she whispered, as if it was a crime so terrible that it didn't deserve her full volume.

"Well… I guess so, yea.  But not intentionally!  Anyway, that's not the point!  The point is what they were talking about!  And it seems that Prince Vegeta has a crush on you!"

Chi-Chi stared.  _Wow, that came out flat_, Kakarroto thought.

"You… are a fool," she said with a certainty that almost made Kakarroto flick her nose.

"No!  Listen to me!  Seriously, it seems that all this time, Prince Vegeta has supposedly been looking for a mate!" he said, putting the garden conversation and the conversation between Raditz and the palace guard together.  "It makes sense!  But it seems that Prince Vegeta has chosen you!  He must have spotted you during my match and wanted you!"

"You are crazy!" Chi-Chi hissed, her brows starting to furrow in anger.  Kakarroto could have hissed back.  He was doing this as a favor for crying out loud!  He didn't need her to bark back in his face!

"Stop denying my claims and _think about it!_  It makes sense, doesn't it?  It makes sense why Prince Vegeta would speak to _Raditz_ about it, and why he'd speak about it _then_.  He's obviously never seen you before, but he said he thought you were beautiful and magnificent, or something like that…  But what's more is that he's ordered Elite Superior Nappa to come and take you to his palace tomorrow!  He must have given Raditz a head's up so that Raditz didn't beat the snot out of Elite Superior Nappa when he arrived!"

Chi-Chi's eyes searched his while he paused.  She finally swallowed.  "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, her voice steady and still not fully believing.  "This isn't some kind of joke, is it?  Raditz sent you to tell me this, didn't he?"

Kakarroto was about ready to cuss up a storm.  "Raditz is snoring on the couch _asleep!_  Cause, you know, people don't normally snore unless they're _asleep!_  Can't you hear it?"

"That's your father snoring!"

"It is not!" Kakarroto nearly shouted.  He checked himself, forced himself to lower his voice, and continued.  "Look, if you want proof, just trot out there and see for yourself!  He's _still_ on the couch!  I promise you!"

Chi-Chi was stubborn.  She shoved the covers off of her legs and marched over to her bedroom door, grumbling the entire time.  Kakarroto waited as she stepped out of her room for a second or two and then came back with a questioning face.

"If this is true," she said slowly, shutting the door.  "If this is—no, it couldn't be true."

"But it is!" Kakarroto said, standing up from her bed, watching her as she climbed back under the covers.  "I promise you it is!"

"Then why would you be telling me this?" she spat.

"Because it just doesn't seem right for you two to spend your last night separated!"

"Why would you care anyway?  You hate Raditz, and he hates you!"

Kakarroto opened his mouth and paused.  "I don't really know why," he mumbled.  "I thought… I thought about doing this, that's all."

"So you just wanted to do it for the thrill of it?" she asked, an eyebrow quirked and her words coated with disbelief.  She groaned, shook her head and smoothed out the wrinkles in her bed sheets that Kakarroto's weight had caused.

Kakarroto was fuming.  "You know what?  Maybe I _did_ do it for the thrill of it!"

"Admit it, you just did it because you wanted to see me sleeping!"

"_I could have seen you sleeping without telling your all this!_"

"Well you're just a third-class Sayian.  How am I supposed to know the method behind your madness?"

The Sayian sighed and headed for her door, resolving on his situation's uselessness.  "You know what?  Believe what you want to believe.  At least I won't feel guilty tomorrow morning when you're sobbing about not having seen Raditz as much as you could.  I might even _pay_ Elite Superior Nappa to take you away without so much as a goodbye to Raditz!"

Chi-Chi didn't respond, making Kakarroto even more frustrated.  He made sure to shut her door quietly, however, just to save himself the torment of an aroused Bardock.

Bulma was going through her belongings on Kakarroto's bed when he entered his room.  She looked up at him.  "That took a while.  What were you doing?"

"Toilet," he lied shortly, grinning at her.  His anger was melting away at the sight of her anticipation.  "And just _what_ are you doing?"

"Deciding how to most efficiently pack my belongings," she cooed back, winking at him.  "But now that you're here, I've an idea much more entertaining than this."

He kicked his shoes off, removing his weights and placing them on his dresser.  "Oh yes?" he chortled back.  "And what would that be?"

Bulma giggled and tugged at him before he could remove anything else.

Kakarroto sighed, the pitch dark draping his bedroom.  He looked up at his ceiling to see that it appeared no different than the area his eyes had rested before.  A cloud had passed overhead and was sitting in place, taking its time as it wondered where to drift off to next.

He listened as Bulma turned over in bed.  They were both hot and tired, so Kakarroto was very grateful when she accidentally kicked the comforter off of him in addition to herself.  He listened to her breath; within five minutes it grew steady and calm.  He smiled.

Her tail was intertwined with his.  He sighed again, a friendly warmth swelling in his chest.  He really liked Bulma, he mused.  Perhaps he even loved her.  It was a foreign word to his mind, and he found himself slightly intimidated by the thought.  At the same time, however, he was filled with a giddy excitement and joy, marveling at how it could be possible.

And yet… that was precisely the point, he reasoned somberly.  He _didn't_ love her.  He couldn't.  Love wasn't associated with treating its partner like Kakarroto had treated her.  He lowered his eyes in shame, though the scenery did not change.  _I may be _starting_ to love her now_, he pondered slowly, _but I haven't done nearly enough for her for me to say otherwise._

Kakarroto thought about Bulma in sudden reverence.  Her heart was moving him.  He looked back over so many things he'd done in their short relationship and wondered why she hadn't left him sooner.  He certainly wasn't worth the pain he'd caused.  He had won her over because he had murdered someone.  How completely absent had his heart been?  And yet… he hesitated with that thought.  Perhaps she had changed too.  Perhaps… perhaps…  There were so many possibilities, but he couldn't rule for or rule out any of them, for it was far too soon.  He'd only been with Bulma for a couple of days, after all.

And yet so much had occurred in a couple of days that it was hard for his mind to grasp it all.  He must have gotten lost amongst every fight, emotion and revelation, because he himself did not know where he now stood.  It was scary—almost threatening, and yet he loved it.  He loved this thrill that life was feeding him, and as he lay there in bed amongst the dark, he felt nearly content.

He paused his train of thought, merely sitting in the dark and in his satisfaction.  The cloud above decided to move on out, and he found that his room became visible again.  He looked at Bulma, blue locks of hair cascading over her pillow.  Kakarroto smiled and picked up couple strands, marveling in the rarity of their color.  He dropped them and watched them sink back to the soft pillow beneath her head.

Now that he had time to think and his mind was wandering freely, he found his thoughts trailing back to his fight with Brocc, the battle with the outcome that made him terribly ill.  Again he wondered why it was.  It was most peculiar to him, and with the new feeling he'd gained in only the last couple of hours, he didn't regret the emotions that tightened his stomach.  Now he just wanted to know _why_.  He hadn't met Bulma prior to the fight.  He hadn't yet had an emotionally changing experience.  So why—

Out of nowhere a thought occurred to him.  During his fight, he had pictured Brocc to be Raditz, hadn't he?  He had felt his anger rising to an uncontrollable peak because of it, too.  Did this, perhaps, have something to do with it?  Did the fact that he had mentally murdered own flesh and blood have anything to do with the feelings he felt afterwards?  The disgust?  The shock?

The fear?

Kakarroto swallowed, irritated that his former satisfaction was melting away just because he was thinking.  He scowled and turned over on his side, draping an arm over Bulma.  He buried his nose in her hair and closed his eyes, determined to at least try and recapture the happy moment.  His exhaustion from the day was catching up with him, and he felt very sleepy.  He was soon forgetting all thoughts of Raditz and Brocc, enamored with the weight on his eyes and the smell of Bulma's hair.

The day had been so very magical.  He could only wonder what tomorrow would bring…

---

FINALLY Kakarroto's getting some feelings.  He may not be his goofy self, but it feels pretty good to finally write about him as a good guy, at least.  I was getting sick and tired of having a rotten main character.  ;)

And does that answer some former questions about the whole Brocc fight?  Or… did that just confuse you more?  Lol.  Annnnd, did you guys SEE the metaphor with the broken glass?!  Did you see?!  DID YOU SEE?!  :D

Lol, only reviews will tell…  And please do tell!  With lots of love, I wish you farewell until the next chapter!

**P**udgoose


	11. Ten

**Disclaimer**:  Once again (and for the final time with this story) I don't own DBZ.

**Author's Notes**:  I.  Love.  My.  Ending.  I'm so very proud of it.  So very, very proud.  I was dreading writing it, because I was afraid it would come out corny, but it's sooooo fine, lol.  And… you know what?  I'm not going to miss working on this story.

…Well, only a little.  ;)

The Brute

**Chapter Ten**

Bulma giggled and bent over her bag of already packed goods, kissing Kakarroto on the cheek.  He looked up at her with bloodshot eyes and smiled wryly.  She snorted and giggled harder, turning back to her packing.  Surprisingly, Kakarroto found that the more he packed, the more he realized that he didn't own nearly as much as he thought.  At his new home, he was going to have to start from scratch in several areas, because he was sure the only thing Bardock would give him would be a sneeze goodbye.

Bulma was about done.  Most of her other belongings were at her parents' home, so she was going to have to take a trip back there and grab the rest of her desired articles.  Nearly dancing around with giddiness and anticipation, she had already decided on visiting her parents the next day.  Kakarroto watched her stand up and stare out his broken widow at the gargantuan sun, which was only starting to rise.

They had woken up extra early, hardly getting a wink of sleep.  It was more Bulma's doing than Kakarroto's, but, upon seeing the joy in her eyes, he had trudged out of bed to please her.  At the moment he had a headache omnipresent in his upper extremities, but it was worth seeing her smile.

As he watched her, Kakarroto was once again filled with guilt about how wicked he had been.  She deserved so much more, and he hoped the rest of his life would be enough to pay her back.  She suddenly turned her head and looked at him, and the peace in her eyes and sunshine on her body made her shine like an angel.  His intake of breath was short and quick.  He held his breath and gaze, convinced that if he was ever going to get a moment to confess his evil, now was the time.

Bulma blinked at the admiration in his face.  She looked at the ground and motioned towards his bag.  "Well… come on.  It has more room.  The sooner you get packed up, the sooner we can leave!"

"Bulma, I care about you."

She quirked her head and her puzzled expression encouraged him to continue.  He turned his gaze to the ground.  He was far too ashamed.  "Bulma, I… I'm not all—you seem to think I am."

She grinned and winked at him, but he wasn't looking.  "I know," she said softly.  He looked up just a fraction more, and saw that her blue tail was twirling around in satisfaction.  "You're more than I could ever imagine you to be."

Kakarroto hesitated.  "I suppose that's not false," he mumbled, "but the other half of that fact is that the 'more' part of me is all… cruelty."

Bulma frowned, and Kakarroto didn't need to see her face to know it.  He could sense it.  Her tail had stopped moving.  "I don't understand," she muttered.

"I…"  Kakarroto paused and looked up at her face for as long as he could.  This had to be one of the hardest things he had done in his entire life.  He would have rather taken on Prince Vegeta with his hands tied than continued saying to Bulma what he knew he needed to say.  He was so afraid, not an emotion that frequented him.  "I tried to… Well I…"

"Yes?" she pressed softly.  There was no sense of urgency in her voice.

"When I first met you, I knew you were Chi-Chi's sister," he said flatly.  He thought about leaving it there and letting Bulma's mind figure out the rest, but upon second thought, he realized that that could possibly lead to worst results than his own words would bring.  "And… at the time, I was trying to harm Raditz.  I thought that through Chi-Chi, I could get the best results the easiest.  But…"  Kakarroto swallowed his words.  They seemed so much more horrid coming out of his mouth.  "But flat temptation didn't work, so I thought… making her jealous might.  So I—I…"

"Used me?" Bulma offered softly.  He looked back up at her, fighting to keep from wincing.  Her voice was blank, and he wondered what she was thinking.

"Well… yes," he said, swallowing.  Fear of losing her was beating him.  He watched her eyes drift over to a corner of his room and stay there, her mind thinking.  She slowly moved over towards his bed and sat down.

"It makes sense.  I—sorta had a hunch."

Kakarroto lowered his head in shame.  "I'm terribly sorry Bulma.  Please forgive me."

"But… do you still feel that way about me now?  I'm just a tool?"

"No!" he denied, standing up and looking her straight in the face to further emphasize his point.  "No, you're not!  I've come to realize who you really are and see you as someone other than 'Chi-Chi's sister!'  I like who you are!  I… I _really_ like who you are!  It's why I'm planning on living with you!"  He paused and thought for a second.  "I mean, if you were still a tool to me, I'd have given you up by now, because it obviously didn't work!"

"I see," Bulma replied darkly, looking away upon being called a tool.  Kakarroto couldn't contain his wince that time.

"Oh Bulma, I'm terribly sorry, please forgive me!  I can't believe how awful I was to you!  Awful isn't even a passionate enough word for it!  It's… I…"

"So that fight with Brocc was just to impress me?"

"No, that was actually pre-planned.  You just happened to be there that day, and I thought there would be no better way to attract your attention.  It'd be killing two birds with one stone," he muttered, but those words brought up the unpleasant memory of the baby bird he had inadvertently killed.  Yet it was only inadvertent now that he regretted it…  He pushed it and his correction out of his mind.  He was going to focus on Bulma now.  "I—I'm sorry, please forgive me.  I hope you can forgive me…"

She was silent for a while, and Kakarroto held his breath.  Finally, she turned and looked at him.  He lowered his eyes.

"I suppose I can.  I suppose I'll have to.  I don't see how we can live comfortably together if I don't, and this little piece of information isn't going to change my mind about living with you," she said.  "I'm not perfect, and I never believed you to be.  I knew we'd slip up with each other at some point and time.  You don't have to act as if you failed me."

"The degree at which I 'slipped up' is so steep though," Kakarroto mumbled, disgusted with himself.  "The lust I had for Chi-Chi and for others… and how I acted on that lust is even worse."  He closed his eyes as if the shame were blinding him.  "I just… can't get over it _myself_ too easily."

"Well you'll have to try, because I'm already over it."  He heard her soft footsteps as she approached him.  He opened his eyes.  Soon he could see her feet, and then her face, when she took his chin in her hand and lifted it up.  "I guess the only thing I can ask of you now is to try to forgive yourself so I'm not constantly reminded of it.  You'll do _that_ for me, won't you?"

"Of course, anything," he whispered fervently.  "I'll do anything, I'm so sorry."

She kissed his forehead.  "It's alright!  I promise!  Now please finish packing; I want to be out of here as soon as possible.  I'm going to go cook breakfast.  It's about time someone other than Chi-Chi did it in this house."  Kakarroto fought hard to smile at her as she walked off.  He was still feeling mildly sick and in shock.

Kakarroto flopped on his bed as soon as she left the room.  The shock soon passed, and he felt glad at what he'd done.  He was very glad the guilt was finally off his chest and out of the silence his tongue was holding, though it felt strange that she didn't punish him.  It felt like something was lacking; he had always been punished for the slightest thing and was sometimes punished when he didn't do anything.  Hearing her peaceful forgiveness was something entirely unique and Bulma-like, his naiveté sadly negative.

He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep, listening to the wind blow lightly outside accompanied by the occasional clatter of kitchen utensils.  He shivered from the cold wind outside and wrapped a blanket around him, drifting in and out of sleep for several minutes.  However, sleepy though he was, Kakarroto distinctly remembered hearing the soft patter of feet go by his door.  He listened intently for several minutes, for the clatter in the kitchen had stopped.  He then heard a much angrier footpace retreat back to its bedroom, and he could almost hear Chi-Chi muttering under her breath.  Kakarroto snickered into his bed sheets.

Eventually the entire family was called down to breakfast and Kakarroto was forced to get up again.  He sat down across from a sleepy-looking Raditz at a beautifully adorned kitchen table, as Bulma was anxious to impress; this would be the first meal she had ever cooked for them.  Bardock soon followed him, scratching his back and stretching.  Chi-Chi looked like she would rather chew off her arm and eat it than participate in dining on anything her lower-class sister had made, but she sat down next to Raditz all the same.  No one but Kakarroto seemed to realize the kitchen table looked any different.

Kakarroto frowned and cleared his throat.  "I like what you did for the table, Bulma, it's very pretty."  Bardock looked down at the table as if he had thought he was seated in front of a plant the entire time.

"Oh, well—what do you know!  That is nice," he complimented softly, smiling.  Bulma gave him a small—very small—smile back.

"Thank you."  She placed the dishes onto the kitchen table, and before she could say, "Please, help yourselves," everyone had already dug in.  Kakarroto was surprised and thrilled to find that Bulma's cooking was just as good as Chi-Chi's.  And though no one but Kakarroto had anything to say about it, it was obvious that the rest of the family was pleased.  Chi-Chi was the only one who had refused to eat.

Raditz glanced at her.  "Chi-Chi, are you okay?" he asked softly.  "Do you not feel well?"

"Oh!" she said lightly, pretending to come out of a trance.  "No, I feel fine.  I was just… thinking."  She picked up her plate and scooped several servings of delicious breakfast meat onto it, but didn't touch it for the rest of the meal.  Raditz ended cleaning it up for her.

Because Bulma had cooked, it was her turn to do dishes that morning.  Kakarroto offered to help her, so they cleaned up the kitchen, stopping more than once to peck each other on the cheek and have a water fight.  Kakarroto noticed, however, that Chi-Chi was acting strangely for the rest of the day, and not just because she was bitter with her sister.  He was sure he knew what was bugging her.  She was constantly at Raditz's arm (they had made up for their argument shortly after breakfast), and if he had to be parted from her, then she was either looking out the window or empty kitchen doorframe.  Sometimes she was doing both, clutching Raditz's arm tightly whenever she thought she saw something outside.  Raditz gave no indication that he noticed.

Time crawled by slowly that day, and Kakarroto found that he didn't have nearly enough to do.  After cleaning up dishes he had taken a small nap, during which Bulma couldn't contain the "good news" anymore.  Kakarroto was rudely awakened to demands from his family about his future with them.  He had confirmed Bulma's claims, making Raditz smirk with delight and Bardock's brow frown with concern.  He didn't seem to think his son was ready for the independent lifestyle; he warned Kakarroto over and over not to embarrass the family name.

Bardock was making lunch that day because he hadn't in a while and because Chi-Chi had strangely denied the opportunity to delight the family once again with her marvelous meals.  Instead she insisted on meditating with Raditz outside in the back yard.  Kakarroto, tired of stomping on insect after insect just inside the empty doorframe, took up the job of fashioning a replacement.  Bulma joined him.

The door still wasn't up when everyone was beckoned to lunch.  He had to deal with swarming insects around some type of meaty stew that Bardock had managed to burn, as if the scorched meat alone wasn't bad enough.  He found himself growing slightly uneasy.  He had expected Elite Superior Nappa to arrive by now, so the lack of visitors was confusing him.  Raditz also seemed to be curious about the absence of Nappa.  Kakarroto caught him staring attentively at nothing through the empty doorframe more than once.

The chair scraped unpleasantly when Raditz stood up to throw his dishes in the sink.  For some reason, everyone was hushed, including Bulma and Bardock.  Kakarroto could hear the clink of dishes ring in his ears for several seconds afterward.  When Raditz turned on the faucet, the running water seemed particularly loud.

Kakarroto eventually cleared his throat to try and get his ears back to normal, but it didn't work.  When he pushed his chair back, however, the surrounding world seemed quiet and distant; he picked up his dishes and sat them in the sink.  He wished ardently that his ears would correct themselves, because, after the keenness they'd just possessed, the silence was queer, particularly for sharp Sayian ears.

Hammering seemed like a good idea, so he looked to his project with the door again.  He felt distant and in slow motion as he walked towards the doorframe, staring at the empty lands beyond.  He stepped outside the doorframe and looked for his tools, when suddenly he couldn't breathe.  Kakarroto first thought he was having a sort of panic attack like he had had after Bardock berated him.  But seconds more proved that the cause wasn't coming from within his own self.  He was thrown forward with incredible force out the door; the jumpstart from his heart, all the adrenaline and sudden lack of oxygen were making him dizzy.  From far away he heard someone scream, but then his ears filled with dirt and dust.

When Kakarroto finally got his senses around him, he realized that he heard a woman screaming hysterically.  He thought of Bulma and scrambled to his feet to protect her from this predator, but when he reached the house he realized it was none other than Elite Superior Nappa standing broad-shouldered in the doorframe—between him and his family.

Chi-Chi had backed up against the furthest wall and was screaming and crying.  Raditz was trying to make sense of the situation while Bardock and Bulma were terribly confused.  Kakarroto demanded to know why Nappa had grabbed him around the throat like he did, but the super elite could not hear him over Chi-Chi's hysterical cries of "get away from me!" and "Raditz save me!"

"Chi-Chi, calm down!" Raditz shouted, reaching for her arm.  She, in turn, grabbed Raditz and held him as tightly as she could, trembling at his side and sobbing.  She looked like someone who had just heard bad news that was ten times as painful because it had been dreaded.  "Chi-Chi, what is the meaning of this?  Be quiet!"

She looked up at him with horrified eyes and her sobbing ceased.  She continued to tremble.  "Raditz, do you not care?" she whispered, the terror of it all fully hitting her as she spoke.  Her knees began to wobble so violently that she leaned against the wall to steady herself.

"About what?" Raditz spat back, slapping her lightly.  "Calm down!  You're humiliating me!"  Chi-Chi grabbed her burning face and crumpled on the floor, not by the severity of his hit, but from shock.

Kakarroto took advantage of the situation, shoving Nappa in the back.  He stumbled forward for a second and then regained his balance, turning around.  Kakarroto glared at him.  "If that's your way of getting back at me for yesterday, you're incredibly petty.  Just accept that I'm better than you and get over it!"

If there was anything Kakarroto had expected from Elite Superior Nappa, it was a shove back.  But Nappa was motionless, and, amazingly, his face seemed very sad.  "No, you are great," he said softly.

Kakarroto watched him, confused.  He didn't know what to think, but he kept his guard up.  He knew from first-hand experience that Nappa was capable of foul play, and Kakarroto wasn't going to rule out a sneak attack anytime soon.  Nappa turned back around, looking at the rest of Kakarroto's family.  "I am here on important business for Prince Vegeta," he said, his voice deep and firm.

Chi-Chi wailed desperately on the floor, grabbing Raditz's boots.  "No," she moaned, "no, no, not me.  Why me?  Why now?"  Raditz glared at her.

"_Get up!_" he demanded, stooping down and picking her up by her shoulders.  He held her so that she faced him fully.  "If you don't calm down and act with more sense, I will dismiss you posthaste from my presence!"

Chi-Chi leaned on his shoulder and continued to cry, but she didn't wrap her arms around him.  He draped one arm over her.  Nappa waited for her to get quiet enough that he might continue, but Bardock interrupted him first.  "What the hell is going on here?" he asked softly, looking around as if he'd been shot at.

"Exactly what I'd like to know," Bulma agreed, looking from Chi-Chi to Nappa with great confusion.  Nappa looked at Raditz with those dark, saddened eyes.  Raditz gave him a reluctant nod, pushing him to continue.

"By order of Prince Vegeta, I am here to collect a mate for him," Nappa said slowly.  Kakarroto listened and watched Chi-Chi with a great pain in his chest as she shuddered.  "I am also here to commit a murder on Prince Vegeta's order."

There was silence and shock.  Even Chi-Chi hushed, but her trembling doubly increased.  Raditz's eyes flashed.  "I was not informed of that," he barked suddenly.  Nappa turned his head towards Raditz.  Kakarroto, suddenly terrified, could not see his expression.

"I'm so sorry Raditz.  It was my order from Prince Vegeta," he said slowly, and Kakarroto could hear the regret drip off his tongue.  Suddenly, he turned his head and looked at Bulma.  "You are Bulma of the second class, are you not?"

"I am," she replied, unsure and afraid.  She tried to glance at Kakarroto, but Nappa's bulk was hiding his face from her sight.  She could not make eye contact with him.

"Prince Vegeta has instructed that I remove you from the area now and accompany you to his palace, where you will be refreshed, properly dressed, and presented to our great prince.  You are his mate of choice."

Kakarroto stood in stunned silence.  Chi-Chi slowly stopped crying.  There were long moments in which Nappa waited for everyone to compose themselves.  Kakarroto's stomach rapidly grew heavy and his knees grew weak so suddenly that he thought he'd lost control of them.  Bardock looked from Elite Superior Nappa to Bulma and back.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his tone hardly altered.  "You haven't made any mistake about this?"

Nappa looked at him.  "I was informed that the woman to collect would go by the name of Bulma and would be of second-class.  She would also be Raditz's mate's sister."  He looked at Chi-Chi, who was still trembling on the floor.  "She is your sister, correct?"

"Y—yes," Chi-Chi stuttered softly.  She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Then she is the one I am to take," Nappa replied, looking at Bulma.  Her eyes were wide.  She moved to the side so that she could see her lover.

"Kakarroto?" she whispered dryly.  Kakarroto looked at her.  She looked so small, so terrified, and he wanted to protect her.  The only problem was that he couldn't even protect himself.

"But before I return with you, Miss Bulma, I must complete the other half of my duties here," Nappa said, turning around heavily.  His eyes were totally cut off and emotionless as he looked at Kakarroto.  The third-class Sayian looked up at him and felt small—and not just because of Nappa's size.  Kakarroto couldn't breathe.

"The other half of my orders were to kill you, Kakarroto, and present your body to Prince Vegeta."  Nappa's jaw was trembling, and Kakarroto could see flickers of emotion pass through his eyes.  He opened his mouth and hesitated.  "I'm sorry," he mouthed weakly.

"I don't—understand," Kakarroto cried, his voice soft and high-pitched.  "What's wrong?  Why?"

"I really don't want to do this," Nappa continued, ignoring his question.  He looked at the ground and his jaw trembled harder.  "I respect you Kakarroto, I respect you greatly.  I'm just sorry your purpose could not be completed by you."  He didn't move his head, but Nappa turned his eyes so as to look at Kakarroto through the corners of them.  "I will try my best to complete it for you."

Kakarroto tried to mutter "what purpose?" and "Bulma" at the same time, but Bulma's name overrode the first statement.  He moaned her name again and crumpled to his knees, weeping openly in front of them all.  He could hear Bulma crying from inside of him.

There were slow footsteps, and great tears fell on the dry ground in front of Kakarroto.  He could not discern his tears from the rest of the families', however.  For his family was great, and they were crying many tears.

"I love you Kakarroto," Bulma sobbed softly.  Her words did not echo, but they burned a hole in the back of his neck.  Kakarroto felt no more.

---

The End.  Hope you enjoyed it, cause I sure did.

**P**udgoose


End file.
